How to Take Your Pre-Teen on a Lunch Date

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It’s inevitable – with 5 kids, at some point they will all feel like we’ve spent more time with the other kids than with them. So it’s important that we make time to spend one on one with each of them. It doesn’t have to be crazy exciting, or cost and arm and a leg, but making sure they get one on one adult time really helps build their self-worth. I received compensation for this post. All opinions are my own. 

First – find a really good excuse. Something like – new shoes! Chloe gets all her shoes as hand me downs from Venice, but truth be told, their feet are very different in shape, and they are almost too close in size to even pass down anymore. After a cleaning out of the shoe closet, and tallying up who had what shoes, it was decided – Chloe would be the lucky recipient of some new shoes.

Third – Run your errands. Hey, one on one time doesn’t mean things can’t get done! Chloe and I started our lunch date at the Keen’s children’s shoe store where we bought her a new pair of Keens (we happened to have a gift card that covered all but $4! – score!). We were out of a few necessary groceries as well, so after Keen’s, we made a stop at Kroger. 

Finally – End your lunch date with lunch! We headed over to Steak ‘n Shake, because it was a weekend, and Kids Eat Free on the weekends at Steak ‘n Shake. The food is delicious, and unlike other “fast food” joints, if you go inside Steak ‘n Shake they actually seat you and take your order at your table. 

It’s important that you go in and dine with your children. For one, the kids eat free promotion only works if you dine in, and it’s also the whole reason you made all these arrangements to get out of the house. While you wait for the delicious food to be brought out, now is a great time to get to know your pre-teen. What do they like to do? Who’s their favorite musician? What’s the name of their best friend? 

You may think you know the answers to most of these questions, but make sure you turn it into more conversation. Why do they enjoy that friend so much? What are they doing to be a good friend? Take the time to truly listen to your pre-teen on this lunch date. 

I know you thought your lunch date was over, but not quite! Before you leave Steak ‘n Shake, make sure you grab one of their Zagat rated milkshakes to bring home to Dad. Afterall, he did just hang out with the other kids so you could get this one on one time in. 

Lunch Date Giveaway

With the Kids Eat Free on the Weekends*, it really makes for a pretty cheap lunch date that you can repeat week after week until you’ve had time with all your kids. However, I want to make that worth even more to you, so grab an entry or two on the Rafflecopter below, and you just might be the lucky winner of a $50 Steak ‘n Shake Gift Card!  That’s a lot of lunch dates.

Open to US 18+. Ends 6/29/2018.

*Kids eat free promotion: Must purchase minimum $9 to get a free kids plate.