Good morning, fellow chaos managers. Today we've got 3 simple tactics, 2 motivational quotes, 1 system for getting young kids to eat more.
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MARRIAGE TACTIC
Emotional laziness is a major turnoff for most women.
Conflict is normal. Avoiding it isn’t healthy.
Trying to change your spouse builds resentment fast.
Marriage needs quality and quantity time. If you’re too busy, something has to change.
Many people want change but won’t ask for help. That’s why they stay stuck.
PARENTING TACTIC
You're stuck… say no and you're headed for a public tantrum. Say yes to everything and you're broke (and reinforcing the begging). The "gimmes" start the second you walk in. Here's how to keep the peace without buying half the store:
Join their excitement: "No way! I can totally see why you love this. Oh look, it lights up!" Connection beats correction when you share their interest instead of just shutting it down, cooperation follows.
Take a picture: "Let's get a picture of this so we remember it for your birthday/Christmas!" Snap the photo, and most kids move on. It shows you care about what they like without buying it right now.
Set the boundary with options: "You can get something, but not everything. You can pick something small to fidget with or something for a snack its your choice."
This isn't bribing or giving in it's teaching patience while staying connected. When kids feel seen and heard, the meltdowns drop. Learn how more about navigating your kid's big feelings without losing your mind.
MENTAL HEALTH TACTIC
You said yes to another activity and now you're drowning in logistics. Say no and you're "holding them back." The pressure to keep up with other families keeps building. Here's how to create breathing room without the guilt:
Set your baseline: "We're doing one activity per season with a max of two hours per week. That's what works for our family right now."
Name what it protects: "When we overschedule, nobody gets downtime. I'm not willing to trade margin for the illusion of 'keeping up' with other families."
Reality check the pressure: "Is this about my kid's actual needs, or am I reacting to what other parents are doing?"
This isn't under-parenting it's choosing connection over comparison. Constant go-go-go keeps their (and your) nervous system "on," which tanks focus, mood, and sleep. Downtime isn't lazy. It's developmental. Learn the 5 Parenting Trends We Hope To Say ‘Goodbye’ to in 2026.
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MOTIVATION
“Every bite is a tiny brave thing. Your job is to keep it calm, keep it steady, and let the courage add up.”
“You don’t have to win dinner tonight. You’re building trust with food, one low-pressure plate at a time.”
FAMILY SYSTEM
System for Getting Young Kids to Eat More
It's that magical time of dinner when everyone pretends vegetables are going to happen tonight. You've meal prepped. You've tried the airplane spoon. You've negotiated like a hostage crisis counselor. And by bedtime? Your kid ate 2.5 goldfish and you're Googling "how many calories are in goldfish" at 9pm.
Most feeding advice for toddlers is written by people who've never met an actual toddler. It assumes you have infinite patience, zero other responsibilities, and a child who responds to reason. For someone with negative patience here are the 5 steps I take that usually gets our daughter to eat more.
1. Stop Making Meals Feel Like Performance Reviews
The fastest way to make kids eat less is treating dinner like a 1on1 with your coworkers. When eating becomes a power struggle, kids shut down harder than a government website at tax deadline. You need to remove the pressure and try giving more responsibility to your child (Seems weird….. I know)
You control: What food is served, when meals happen, where you eat
They control: Whether they eat, how much they eat
This week's action:
Set meal + snack times
Serve the food, then zip it (no "one more bite," no negotiations, no bribes)
Whether they eat 2 bites or 20 bites: same neutral response
Your only job: "Food is here." Their job: "I decide how much."
As we read the research we found that using pressure "always backfires" and kids can smell bribery like sharks smell blood.
2. Build Actual Hunger (No More Snack Grazing)
When parents say "my kid won't eat dinner" most of the time the problem is actually "my kid ate goldfish 47 minutes ago." To fix this have a more structured meal timing and before a meal diminish the constant grazing of snacks.
Simple schedule:
Breakfast → lunch → dinner → snack
No snacks 1-2 hours before meals (water is fine)
Watch liquid calories: milk/water with meals; limit juice
If daycare serves 4pm snack, don't force 5:30pm dinner. Push dinner to 6:30pm or serve "mini dinner."
This is the lowest-drama lever that often produces results within days and was probably one of the biggest problems we had. After dinner we usually let our daughter snack as much as she wants and give a treat if she ate most of her dinner.
3. Use "Tiny Exposure" on Repeat (10-15+ Tries is Normal)
You served broccoli twice, they rejected it, you gave up but what you didn’t know (according to science) is that your kids need 10-15 neutral exposures before accepting new foods.
The "crumb method":
Put one tiny piece (pea-sized) of new/less-liked food on their plate
Pair it with 1-2 safe foods
Don't comment on it at all
Re-serve it once a week in tiny amounts
Optional: offer with familiar dip/sauce on the side (not hidden, just paired)
Repeated exposure is the "single most effective" strategy so don’t get discouraged if you kid doesn’t take to it right away as it may take 10+ appearances before your kids try them.
4. Always Include Safe Foods + Start Small
Kids eat nothing when the plate looks like Mount Doom and there's zero familiarity. What helps is having small portions + familiar anchors = less pressure. This helps a lot if you’re also working on the previous step.
At each meal, serve:
1-2 safe foods (things you're confident they'll eat)
The main meal everyone else is eating
Tiny starter portions (you can always refill)
The rules:
If they finish and ask for more → great, refill
If they only eat safe foods → fine, next meal comes at next scheduled time
No short-order cooking required
This is the best compromise between "I'm not a restaurant" and "I also want them to actually eat something."
5. Make Every Bite Count (Calorie Density)
If your kids total intake is genuinely low, focusing on volume misses the point. Focus on calories per bite instead by adding healthy fats to foods you know they will eat. For example:
Butter/olive oil on pasta, rice, veggies
Nut butter on toast/fruit (age-appropriate form)
Full-fat yogurt, cheese, avocado
Build balanced snacks (protein + fat + fiber):
Apple + peanut butter
Yogurt + granola
Hummus + crackers
Cheese + fruit
Targets "eat more" without forcing larger volumes (where toddlers draw the line). For underweight/low intake kids, higher-fat foods help without pressure.
The Bottom Line
This isn't about perfection. It's about removing the pressure, building hunger naturally, and making peace with the fact that toddlers are tiny chaos agents who will eat 6 blueberries for dinner some nights.
The system works because you stop treating meals like negotiations and start treating them like... meals.
ODDS & ENDS
Past PowerPair Articles
Building Responsibility for Kids - Get your kids to actually do chores without turning into a nag or their maid service.
Meltdown Reset System - How to handle a full-blown toddler meltdown in aisle 7 without losing your mind or caving to their demands.
Reluctant Partner System - How to get your skeptical partner to actually try something new without turning into a nag or starting World War III.
Daily Couple Reset System - How to reconnect daily with a 10-sec hug, 3 wins → 2 frictions → 1 need, end with “thanks for sharing” no fixing.
Stuff We’re Loving This Week
Date ideas to try instead of watching Netflix…. again?
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THAT’S A WRAP
Before you go: Here’s how I can help.
1) LoveSync 28 Day Challenge - feel more connected with your spouse in 28 days without therapy, date nights, or long talks. Daily love language matched prompts in the morning + one 60 second question at night.
2) Guide to Rebalancing the Household Load - this is your official resignation letter from being the "Household Manager." and re-hire your spouse as a full partner (not just a "helper").
Until next time,
Dylan