Erin has two boys, 7 and 9, who can’t sit still at dinnertime. Erin and her husband want a nice family dinner every night, but the boys complain about the food, jump up and down, and can’t seem to get the cleanup done. 

In this episode, Erin and Sue talk about what she can do about the situation. They discuss how it might be a good idea to cut family dinners down to five times a week, and Sue offers the suggestion that the boys do something to release all of their energy before sitting down each evening. We talk about the possibility of planning dinners in advance with the boys’ input so that they won’t be unhappily surprised at dinnertime, and we discuss doing something fun at dinner. Regarding cleanup, they discuss framing it as a way to contribute to the family now that they’re old enough, instead of as chores. Sue notes that Erin can leave the boys to take care of it themselves instead of watching over the process, and I offer the suggestion of setting a kitchen timer for them.