Leaving kid(s) at home with Dad while you work...?

Teresa - posted on 09/22/2011

I would leave my son with my husband. His dad is kind of obsessive about making sure our son gets a good meal, or healthy food, he gets him his bath, reads to him in bed and then says his prayers with him, all this while I'm already in bed. Now morning? My husband would sleep through a nuclear bomb. I make sure my son has had a good breakfast and I keep healthy snacks and drinks easily available to him. he's in 1st grade so I don't have to worry much about it unless he's on break which he is now for 3 weeks, he's in an all-year school. We don't eat dinner at the table as a rule every night but we do enough at other times so he knows how to act. Now I do cook a big meal at the beginning of the week and put leftovers in tv dinner-like containers so all we have to do is reheat but my son usually goes for a cheese pizza or chicken nuggets or fish sticks.

Liz - posted on 09/19/2011

How old is your son? And what time do you go to work?

I ask because toddlers often aren't super hungry for dinner anyway, so I would make a healthy "main" meal at 2pm-3pm, and for supper your son and his dad could have leftovers from that, or something simple like a healthy pita sandwich or yogurt. (In some countries, the main, big meal is at 2 or 3pm -- imo, it's healthier not to eat a big meal close to bedtime.)

You have to find some kind of compromise with your SO. And really, the best way to avoid your son's eating hotdogs and junk like that is to not buy it or eat it yourself. I'm guessing your SO is the one who likes to buy the hotdogs? There could be a compromise: all beef hotdogs, veggie dogs, or slices of turkey breast.

Amy - posted on 09/18/2011

My husband works nights while I work days and he's responsible for caring for the kids during the day. I'm positive that they don't always get well balanced meals but there are nights I get home that I don't feel like cooking. On the rare occassion that my husband are home and we're able to do a family dinner then we sit down together as a family, usually I sit at the table with my daughter and my son will feel like he's missing out so he comes to sit with us.
I do like louse's idea of preparing meals ahead of time for him. I can only assume that you're home during the day so you can do some healthy food in the crockpot for him, or if your oven timer you can set it to start cooking a roast to be ready about the time you would like dinner served. My only other suggestion would be is to not buy the foods you do not want your son eating then he'll have no choice but to cook. Is it possible he doesn't even know how to cook?

Louise - posted on 09/17/2011

Without wishing to add to your workload, have you thought about pre cooking meals and freezing them so he can use them when you are working. At least then you'll know yourvson is eating well. Maybe you can rope him into helping you cook them?
Can his mom help you get through to him about eating at the table? He may listen to her and I'm sure she wouldn't approve of him being so lazy! Hard one, my husband hates any kind of criticism so I have to find a way of making him think it was his idea, good luck x