No Anxiety Here (atleast for this moment)

Listen up my Prader-Willi associates! I have found that when I involve Sarah in the kitchen with me during our meal time preparation and she's well informed what is on the menu than her anxiety over the food is greatly diminished. This is what she helped me do for lunch today--isn't it lovely? She's the best helper.

Our pantry is locked and our fridge isn't yet, but I have strict rules that no one can open it without Mom or Dad. I think our small house and the fact that I'm always home are the biggest factors here though.

So, we pull the food out, prepare it with Sarah's help, then put it all away before we sit down and eat. We rarely put serving bowls on the table. We don't share off of eachothers plates. We use the concept "this food is for Sarah's body, that food is for Spence, etc." I talk openly about why we only have dessert once or maybe twice a week. I teach my children what vitamins/nutrients are in each fruit/veggie we eat and why they help our bodies. I only keep water and milk in the fridge. I use small plates to stack Sarah's food on (it appears to be more that way). Her largest portion is always the vegetables; the smallest is usually the main course. We eat at the same time each day--she knows what to expect. If there are changes we warn her ahead of time. When we eat out we give her choices of a few healthy items off the menu and tell the waiter she can't order without our help.

I just wanted to share a few of the tricks we have found over the years that help decrease the tears and anger at meal times (really all day long) around here. Many of you have asked and I don't pretend that it works all the time but for the most part it does!