Nov 26 2008
No force feeding…but you will eat what I cook
The sound of mothers all over the world arguing with their children about eating their food can be heard daily. I know I hear it in my house constantly. I have three very, very picky eaters, which I am in the process of changing that. I have a daughter who doesn’t eat most meats. My middle son cannot stand most vegetables. And my younger son changes his likes and dislikes more than he changes his underwear.
The only way to change this is to experiment. I will stop at the store and buy something out of the blue, simply to see who and if it will be eaten. I notice if I buy baby carrots, all three will eat them, but if I buy canned carrots, it’s simply not happening. Fresh seems to work best in this house for most vegetables, and if I am tricky and toss a wee bit of sugar on them when I do cook them, I find a little of them get eaten.
Fruits are trickier for us here. Bananas are good, apples good for two kids, plums for none. Two will eat strawberries, two for pineapple, and no one for fresh peaches.
I don’t mind looking for new ways to get my children to eat. That’s part of our job as parents, to trick them any way shape or form we can to get the nutrients in. I don’t believe in forcing a child to eat in most circumstances. They know at a certain age when they are hungry, so unless we are sitting down to one of the three main meals, I won’t force that food down their throats. When we go out to a restaurant, maybe one child will say they aren’t very hungry. That’s fine, you can take what you don’t eat home with you and when you get hungry later, you can eat it.
When it comes to finishing your dinner, the rule is, clear the first plate. I try not to put too much on the first one and then they ask for seconds. Fill the first plate up with too large proportions, and not only will they not ask for seconds, the food on the first plate never gets eaten. When they are done, they are done. I will ask once if they are sure and then stop.
I have two big problems with parents at meal times that I see. One is the force feeding. I see it time and time again. A child will say they are full, and the parent argues and threatens. I’ve seen it get too extreme to the point the child gives in, eats until they literally fill up and then proceed to throw up in the restaurants. Nice job mom and dad, you win the award of bad parenting tonight.
The other problem I have is when parents don’t make their children to eat what is served. It’s one thing if you make greek olives stuffed with lamb, not too many children are hot to trot for that. However, if I make you meatloaf, mashed potatos, corn and biscuits, you will eat at least half. I don’t purposely make food I know my children don’t like. If it is a new food, they have to at least taste it twice. If its something I know they enjoy, they have to eat half of the serving.
I suppose the bottom line is that we as parents need to make the most at getting our children the vitamins and nutrients they need. We are the adults, they are not. There has to be a balance between our rules, and their stomachs. It all falls back to listening to your children, they really do have voices. It pays to pay attention. Find the tricky little things to make food not only more fun, but more edible for their little palates.
I agree with both your points of not forcing children to eat and finishing whatever is taken. These are 2 important aspects that every parent should teach their children.
Liking and disliking some food items is natural.