Fatherhood

How to settle what's for dinner

Published: December 2008/January 2009   [ Updated: Nov 18, 2008 - 4:37:23 PM ]

It's the age-old question: What's for dinner? And if you have a couple of kids running around the roost, it's also an age-old argument. That's why a guy by the name of Ed invented his infamous pair of dice. Tired of listening to family squabbles about where to eat in his community of San Jose, California, Ed affixed the names of his kid's favorite restaurants to a pair of dice and turned the task of deciding into a game. It worked. The children felt like they got their say when it was their turn to roll, they didn't dispute the outcome of the dice, and the bickering stopped. Parents around San Jose have been aping Ed's dice ever since, and now you can too. A local company has started manufacturing a version that can be customized (edsdice.com). Send your own parenting tips to bestlife@rodale.com.