Mom-of-two shares her secret for peaceful dinnertime — it's the parenting hack we didn't know we needed

Parenting is incomplete without moms and dads rejoicing and sharing makeshift hacks that make their lives even a tad easier. After a hard day’s work, a moment of peace at the dinner table is what every parent dreams of. But mom of two, Lindsay Arnold Cusick (@lindsarnold) had been struggling with the meal time for some time until she found a brilliant hack. In a viral snippet with 34,000 hearts, Cusick dished her new favorite hack that gave her and her husband some leeway at dinnertime, allowing them to eat in silence. Turns out, parents have been doing it for years, and it’s the “best” thing ever. 

Cusick begins her video by stating her parenting experience of three and a half years. Despite her long tenure, she only recently realized the “best parenting hack of all time.” She revealed that feeding her kids before they have dinner is nothing short of a boon. “Feed your kids their dinner before you eat yours. I have to try this tonight because dinner time has gotten so crazy,” the mom stressed. At dinner time, Cusick barely gets to sit down, even for a second to have her meal, owing to the chaotic nature of toddlers. “They need refills and then June’s trying to climb out of her high chair and Sage is needing water, and it’s not a relaxing time,” she added. 

From a parent’s viewpoint, Cuisck notes that cooking meals and then not getting enough time to have them peacefully is rather “frustrating.” “I’m cooking this meal, and I want to sit down, I want to just eat it. So, tonight I’m like, let’s have them eat a little bit earlier than us, finish their whole meal, and then you can go play while we eat,” the mother explained. For anyone second-guessing the approach, the creator affirmed that dinnertime with this hack turned out to be “glorious.” The couple even planned to do this every night. She figured her message could be perceived as “controversial” and hence, had an explanation ready for the haters. 

“Hear me out, I do love family dinner time. We still sat with them while we ate,” Cusick highlighted, adding that the only change was in their timing. Pushing the kids’ dinner only about 30 minutes earlier has been “amazing” for the parents, who have yearned for a peaceful moment to eat. This hack is especially useful for Cusick and her husband becuase they have an 11-month-old and a three and half year old. While eating with relatively older kids does not come with much nuisance, the TikTok mom suggested it is rather “hard” to get her kids to sit still for dinner. “They played by themselves while mom and dad got to eat. It was the best thing ever. Try it,” she concluded.

Meanwhile, in the caption, Cusick figured she might be a late bloomer in this regard, but confirmed she will be doing the hack again. “Probably not every night, if I’m being real, but it’s a nice feature." Parents agreed with the mom’s struggle at dinner and shared their thoughts on the matter. One person (@makennaricketts) said, “Teaching independent play too, so a double win!” while another (@peggyknapple) revealed, “We have always done this. Maybe when ours is older, it will be different, but it works for us.” “It’s a game changer,” marked @mason_114.

You can follow @lindsarnold on TikTok for more parenting videos.