Welcome to YTF Community, a place to safely share in the challenges and joys of feeding our families. And make all of it easier! This is a weekly members post with timely advice and encouragement that I hope helps offer a little reassurance.
I’ve been thinking a lot about my current phase of motherhood because I am noticing that it feels really (really) different. I’m over a year out from the start of our shared custody arrangement which means we are all pretty used to changing houses each week. And I am used to going from feeding four of us to feeding just myself in a regular cadence.
But while the foundation of how I feed everyone hasn’t changed, there are some stark differences in how I think about all of it that feel sort of like a shift in my foundation. (I realize that may sound cheesy!)
The main thing? I no longer feel any guilt when we eat mainly the same foods each week the kids are with me. I no longer question the routine that I have found works best for us, even though I know others may give me the side eye if I explain it.
I’m no longer second-guessing everything I am doing or judging myself in the process because I trust myself more in every aspect of my life. (Thank you therapy!) And yes, releasing that guilt and getting to the acceptance part took a lot of time—and diligently muting anything I see on social media that makes me feel badly about the food in my house. But it’s led to a profound feeling of relief in the work I do to feed my kids, even on days when I have to make dinner at lunchtime because of after school activities. Or when one of my kids tells me they no longer like a food they have long been enjoying.
Plus, this perspective shift has also resulted in making the actual logistics of feeding my family so much easier.
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