Wannabe Rollergirl

My husband and I recently went to a Texas Rollergirls roller derby for the first time. It really made me want to be a rollergirl. My husband says NO, and in my heart I know it's unrealistic. For one, I have two small children, and if I got hurt, I don't know we would take care of them (since my husband works full time). Moreover, it's smoky and requires me to be out late. So why do I want to be a rollergirl? First, the way the girls were dressed was so cool - pigtails, fishnet stockings, and miniskirts. What a contrast to how I and other Moms dress! Also, I like rollerskating (or at least I used to when I was a teenager), and trying to shove my way through the pack sounds like a pretty good time. I guess because it's such a stark contrast to my current lifestyle. I guess I'll just daydream about it.

Going to bed hungry

I have 2 girls - ages 3 and 4. I can pretty much count on them going to bed without eating much or any dinner at least 3 times a week. They often don't like what I serve, and I refuse to make them a special meal that I know they would like. I feel kind of guilty about this sometimes, but their pediatrician seemed to think this was quite OK.

I don't try to make them eat anything unreasonable, like especially spicy foods. If they want more of the roll/rice/other carb with dinner, they have to eat some of the other stuff on their plate first. I've heard the theory that you shouldn't place a higher value on one type food than another, but I don't know how else to get them to eat their veggies.

So, most nights when we all sit down to dinner, I get to hear a lot of "I don't like squash" or "I don't want to eat my chilli". So, my husband and I tell them "well, don't eat it if you don't like it, but this is dinner". When my husband has to be out of town, I miss having at least one other person who thinks my dinners are good. When he is home, at least 2 out of 4 of us like the meal.
When he's gone, I feel like I don't want to spend a bunch of effort on a meal that only I will eat.

Both my girls are at a healthy weight/height. I have some friends whose children are very short or very underweight. They make special meals at night for them, and I can understand their concern in putting their kids to bed hungry. If I was in that situation, I might do that too. But since I'm not, I won't make them macaroni and cheese or hot dogs for dinner. They'll just have to eat my turkey burger, brocolli, and black bean salad. Of course, no one will actually eat my black bean salad and I'll have to hear lots of whining about it. I guess that's the way it goes.