There’s a lot of pressure out there for parents to provide healthy and homecooked meals to their families every night.
There’s additional perceived pressure on days when getting a takeout meal works better for their schedule.
Extracurricular activities and stressful days sometimes mean takeout is the best option to keep everyone at their best.
Getting takeout isn’t bad; it can reduce stress and strengthen the bonds of your family.
Feeding your children is one of the most important things you do as a parent, and cooking a meal is less important than giving them fuel to get through their day.
Here are three reasons Reasons Parents Should Have No Shame in Takeout.
Photo by Alexandra Gorn on Unsplash
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Life Gets Busy
You want your kids to have the opportunity to find the things they love, and those activities can lead to evenings in the car making sure everyone can do their activities.
Enrolling your kids in the extracurricular activities that interest them has many benefits.
The activities allow kids to take the academic skills they learn in the classroom and apply them in the real world, which helps boost their academic skills back at school.
Extracurricular activities are also crucial for your children’s social development.
These opportunities let your kids interact with kids from other backgrounds and lifestyles that share a common interest.
Having that social interaction helps improve your child’s language development, conflict resolution skills, self-esteem, and attitude.
Having activities is also essential for the development of leadership skills.
Taking on different roles and working with others teaches children how to operate in a team setting, which is valuable for future interactions.
Time management is another skill extracurriculars teach kids, and you add to that by showing them the importance of showing up on time and limiting the time to make and eat a meal at home.
Getting takeout meals can be the key to keeping bellies full when the evening is busy and giving them the energy to make it through their or their siblings’ activities without the hassle of driving combined with planning meals ahead of time.
It Saves Time
Preparing a meal for your family takes time.
While it can be worth it, it can also be worth spending that time with your kids.
Kids spend a good chunk of their week doing schoolwork, extracurricular activities, and hanging out with friends.
That doesn’t leave much time to hang out with Mom or Dad.
Ordering takeout frees up the time you would spend making dinner for going to the park, watching a movie, or playing a game as a family.
Spending quality time with your children reduces the likelihood of them engaging in risky behaviors in the future.
It also helps your well-being by strengthening your bond with them.
Even if your kids are busy with other things, you may want to order takeout on nights when you need a moment.
Parenting is a hard job, and maintaining your self-care allows you to take better care of your kids.
So, if you need a night to relax or go out with friends, let your kids choose a place to order and enjoy a takeout meal.
It’s not lazy parenting to organize your limited time for what’s best for your family.
It’s a Fun Treat
Parents can feel pressure to provide a healthy, home-cooked meal regularly, but it can be a nice treat for everyone to have takeout after a special event, a long week, or just a tiring day.
Kids who grow up on strictly healthy food can see unhealthy food as a temptation, which can lead to unhealthy eating habits in the future.
It can also lead to kids hiding what they eat, drinking outside the home, or fearing the food itself.
Experts recommend that you explain unhealthy foods as less nutritious, and to enjoy them less frequently than the foods that fuel your body.
This creates an environment where your kids are educated about eating healthy food but aren’t afraid to eat less-healthy food with family and friends.
Look at menus ahead of time to get an idea of what dishes are available and choose which meals you will be ordering as a family.
Just because you order takeout doesn’t mean the food has to be unhealthy.
Getting food from restaurants is fun, and you don’t have to sacrifice nutrition.
No Shame in Convenience
Parents can feel a lot of pressure from well-meaning family, friends, and strangers to keep a clean house, have a precise schedule, and make healthy meals regularly.
It’s nice when parents can prepare healthy, homecooked meals, but life happens – and it’s sometimes necessary to stop at a restaurant for takeout.
It can also be a nice treat for kids and parents who would rather spend time doing other activities to bond.
Enjoying takeout shouldn’t be a source of shame – so, recognize these Reasons Parents Should Have No Shame in Takeout, sit down and enjoy your meal.
