Ugh, dinner. It may be one of the worst parts of being a parent. You have all these kids, and then they expect to be fed multiple times a day! And of course, they want more than just fruit snacks and granola bars.
They want you to cook. But then, they complain about the meals you lovingly prepare, night after night. The whole thing can be brutal. But lately, moms on TikTok are mixing things up at the dinner table by having their families play dinner roulette, and we are totally here for it!
Are you a gambler, or do you like to play it safe?
We have all probably heard of Russian Roulette, and we know how terrifying the real thing is. Why would you do that? Hopefully, you wouldn't. But what if your mom made you?
Not in the traditional way of course, but with your dinner? For some kids, it could be almost equally terrifying. To us grown-ups though, it's just hilariously funny.
Mamas are mixing things up.
We first caught wind of this parenting trend just before the holidays when we saw TikTok mom Bethany, @_mamma_b, bring her family together for dinner. When they sat down, they were faced with several covered plates and no idea what was inside each.
Some items were fan favorites and others were total busts. They only found out once they chose. In the video, her kids are seated at the table with forlorn looks on their faces. They don't appear to be very excited about the meal at all.
When it comes to choosing for themselves, the family wasn't so sure.
The son chose first and got turkey sandwiches and meatballs. He seemed pleased. The older daughter chose a cheeseburger and fries, and the younger said, "Nooo," clearly disappointed. She ended up with a turkey dinner. Dad got a burger and mom got a simple sandwich and Doritos.
In the end, no one was crying or pouting, which is definitely a win. We don't know how this would go over at our place.
This is admittedly a good way to distribute leftovers.
Most families' fridges have at least one container of leftovers in them. A lot of us have several, and sometimes they become unidentifiable and end up in the trash. A lot of people on TikTok thought that this was a good way to reduce food waste.
"Actually.. This is a great idea with left overs!" someone commented. "You get what you get and you don't throw a fit."
"I love this…the younger one was so concerned what she might get " another person wrote.
And, of course, there were the naysayers.
"Not one single person looked happy at any point in this entire video lol," someone wrote.
Another commented: "But where in the heck are the vegetables and fruits?! I'm alarmed by these options."
Other moms on TikTok have been successfully trying dinner roulette in their own homes ever since.
After we saw that first video, we noticed similar ones cropping up in our feeds on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook. Moms have been pumped to give the dinnertime hack a try, and we totally get why.
It's a great way to get kids to try new things, it's perfect for avoiding food waste, and it's a smart idea for a low-effort family meal.
Food roulette is not a new thing. TikTokers have been doing it for years.
Search food roulette on TikTok, and there are plenty of videos. Some people do similar things in their homes with leftovers, while others spin the wheel to choose what they will order at restaurant. It's a fun concept to help families mix things up.
There are lots of videos of people ordering the same meal as the person in front of them at the drive-thru, but asking that the employees only tell them what it is once they open the bag. Those are pretty funny, too.
If you dare play food roulette, we wish you good luck. Here's hoping you don't end up with the mystery meat that's been hanging around forever.
