You let your kids eat what??

ojell

We typically eat the same food..I just eat smaller portions than I used to. I have always encouraged them to make healthy choices. For years, they ate healthier than me! I was a closet snacker. One thing they have a hard time listening to me on is snack versus treat type foods because the majority of their friends have foods that I personally consider "treats" as their everyday snacks. So, that's a bit of a battle that I have with them once in a while. For the most part, they make good choices. I don't keep junk food in the house. I buy it as a treat once in a while.

frugalmomsrock

We eat pretty uniformly the same. Sometimes the sides are things that I know my kids don't like (brussel sprouts, as an example). I say they have to take one and eat it, and they can have the stuff they like with it. I always make sure there is at least one thing for supper that they LIKE so that they can get a decent amount of food. I will usually have a salad (so will my husband and one of my daughters), but the rest of the kids don't like salad. They get to have whatever veggie I make. I try to stick to fairly healthy recipes that we can all enjoy.

My one son pretty much refuses to eat meat, so it's a little more difficult for him to eat what we usually have (the only meat he'll eat is a turkey burger or shredded chicken in a gravy over brown rice--other than that, forget it!). He ends up with cheerios for supper half the nights a week...

kittymoney

I try to incorporate what I eat in the meals I cook for the rest of my family, however, I still end up cooking multiple dinners. My husband and step son pretty much eat the same things (my husband has more 'fresh' stuff do to his diabetes), my daughter would rather have salad and fruit....so a lot of times she has a different dinner; my son is low functioning autistic with serious sensory issue and food has always been a difficult thing so he eats "his" foods; and then there's me.

We rarely all eat the same thing, and when Pizza Friday rolls around....Im always eating something else!

My son had the same sensory issues when he was younger and diagnoised as being autistic. He has come a long ways and is no longer diagnoised as being autistic but has had sensory issues. He is getting better at trying different meats and finds that mustard helps him to eat meat since he doesn't care for ketscup or bbq sauce items. He still has a lot of touch sensitive issues with his skin and such. Small strides = huge progress

XjuliaXannX

my mom did the same thing. If you don't eat what you are given, then you don't and that is what you're given next time. Children shouldn't dictate to the parent what they will and won't eat. just gives them the idea later in life that they will get their own way on other situations.

dgn5cs

If I didn't eat what my mother gave me she would serve it up to me for my next meal. I'm not a parent, so I'm probably going to get flamed here, but when did parents start pandering to kids like this? I'm just curious, did the parents of this generation do that? Mine didn't and certainly the previous generation couldn't afford to.

If my parents were having something I didn't like, my mother always made me buttered noodles. I can tell you if my mother did what yours did, I would have starved to death.

skinnybearlyndsay

My Mom served only one dinner. We had to at least *try* everything on our plates. But we weren't allowed to have a treat later if we didn't eat a good portion of our food. My sister, who was a pickier eater than me as a kid (now I seem to be the pickier eater), was told once that since she always complained that she didn't like something, to make herself a PBJ sandwich. She did. It only took once.

I don't have kids, but I believe what my Mom told us. One meal, unless they want to make it themselves, and you have to *try* everything on the plate.

Stinkerbelle84

My mom definately did the same thing! If she was going to invest her time (and money) on preparing a meal, then we were REQUIRED to eat it. I can remember when I first got my own car, job, etc. I didn't like what she cooked, so I was going to go run through a drive through. Well, that was my *kitten*! Not only did I not get to to to the drive through, but I also didn't get what she cooked, lol.

foster59803

my kids (4 & 6) eat what we eat, every night, no matter what is served. i actually cook, nothing out of the box for the most part, and my kids eat it with minimal complaining. my eldest doesn't like 'slimy' stuff, such as sauteed onions, or mushy zucchini and eggplant, but she eats most of what she's served even still.
i have no suggestions for how to make your kids start, but know that they are completely capable of doing it, just like we all did. my mother NEVER would have made a separate meal, and frankly neither would I. no dinner=no dessert...even if that dessert is an orange!

YES! Same here, two girls 8 and 5... my girls eat what we eat. Always have, even when they were little. They must! try everything before they say they don't like it. I don't make them clean their plate... but they need to have a little bit of everything i serve. My oldest daughter does not like avocados for example, so when they are served in a salad I allow her to pick them out, no problem. But when she picks them out I I explain to her what health benefits are in that avocado and why it is good for her body. I try really hard to teach them where food comes from, what vitamins/minerals it has, how it benefits their body. And if they decide they don't want to eat something that is served... then no desert (whatever that might be). They get to make their choice... but I am not a short order cook and refuse to make two different meals. Just my two cents.

Maryaly40

bump...I am so guilty of this :sad:

mamamc03

If my 5 year old daughter does not want what was made....then tough! She either eats it or doesn't. She will normally get VERY emotional and worry about not having supper, so she'll cave. But, I've always done this and I HATE HATE HATE it when her grandparents give in...but that is their job. :ohwell:

So stick to your guns. But next time you are grocery shopping....buy healthier versions of her favorites. Like last night we had Peas of Mind Broccoli Veggie Wedgie fries. Super yummy & made her quite happy! Michelina's Light entrees has a pizza bites dish that is yummy & makes you feel like it's junk. BUT its not!!

xxslvrxwngsxx

If I didn't eat what my mom cooked I went without. If you let your kids run your menu then be prepared to eat mac and cheese and chicken nuggets EVERY night... My kids will eat what I cook or go to bed hungry. I'm not worried, They will eat when they get hungry enough. It frustrates me when people let their kids have anything they want because they are "picky".

Kailel

Oh, and one more thing...I think the worst thing you can do to your kids is give food more importance than it deserves.
Obsessing in front of them about bad foods and good foods, or teaching them that there's some kind of moral superiority in eating unprocessed food...I don't think that's mentally healthy. Teach them that healthy food is tasty, but don't flip out if they like fried, frozen, genetically engineered dinosaur nuggets, either. Just limit their access to it.

We were having a 'picnic' that consisted of Happy Meals in the park awhile back, and this eight or nine year-old came up and started to lecture us about how terrible MacDonalds food was. About how he only ate vegetarian, whole foods. God, he went on and ooooooon about it! If it had been my kid, I would have smacked him. Since he wasn't, I told him that he was being very judgmental, and it wasn't right to try to make people feel bad because they were different from him.

Heh heh. I could see the little wheels in his head turning, trying to figure out if it was worse to be judgemental or unhealthy...He shut his mouth and went away.

Darn kids. Get off my lawn.

LOL! You made my day.

Though a word to the parents with chicken nugget addicted kids... when your chicken nugget addicted kids become chicken nugget addicted adults, it's not good form for you to tell your son's girlfriend that it's her job to make him eat healthy now. I can tell you that it's very frustrating to try and tell a 23 year old what to eat when his mother never did. :explode:

rebecca_chess

Most of the time my 5 year old will eat whatever we are having. However, when I fix a spicy Cajun or Mexican meal I don't expect him to eat it and will prepare him something else. Even if he does have frozen chicken nuggets, he will have at least two veggies right beside of them and must eat the majority of the veggies. I encourage him to try new things....sometimes he does, sometimes he doesn't.....I don't make a big deal about it.

As a child, if my Mother wanted me to try something and I refused to take a bite, I had to sit there until I did or until it was bedtime. I didn't eat it. I just sat in the same spot and did not eat. This happened on many occassions at lunch time and I had to sit there ALL DAY....lol. I choose not to partake in this type of battle with my child.

ajalcazar

Between everything that my family does and is involved in, we dont always have time to plan ahead for stuff like this and because of that we have a lot of freezer to microwave or oven meals and a lot of quick boxed stove top meals. My wife has enough metabolism for the whole family and my kids have picked up that part of her. When we do have the time, we most certainly try to incorporate my healthier habits into the family meal. Either way, healthy or not so much, they eat what is put in front of them.

yoovie

my parents made me eat soap.

That's because you were bad

My parents made us finish whatever was on our frickin plate, if you didn't, you sat there until you did....after a few cold meals we learned to finish quickly whether we liked it or not

My parents made me sit at the table until my food was gone too.

THIS WAS A VERY EFFECTIVE WAY TO TEACH ME THAT I HAVE TO EAT EVEN WHEN MY BODY IS *NOT* HUNGRY!

jb852013

If I do not consider a food to be healthy and I will not eat it then I do not serve it to my children very often. I do buy lunchables and Kid Quizines, but very very rarely. It's a very big treat to them and they are very excited to have them. I have been struggling with nutrition recently, so my kiddos foods haven't been as nutritious as they used to be. Trying to get back into eating right. Today we had whole wheat pita bread sandwiches with chicken, cheese, avacado, and tomatoe and each of us got a bag of baked chips. Healthy for all of us and kid friendly. For snacks I try to make sure that they eat fruit instead of chips or brownies. I don't get feeding children unhealthy foods while making sure you (all parents - not specifically the op) have good healthy nutrition. If I were to do that I would feel that I am being a bit selfish. However, I have average healthy children with no problems such as diabeties or other health issues. Their little bodies are growing very fast and nutrition is very important for them. Also, if they are taught to eat terrible food when they are growing up that is what they will learn to eat and most likely will be struggling with those habits as adults when they start to gain weight from eating too much junk.

foster59803

One more thing... kids are very visual... so I let my girls look though food magazines ( love Martha Stewart Every Day Food) typically good food that is fairly easy to make and even lists the majority of calorie counts for meals. They look the the magazine every month and pick out food that "looks tasty". Then I incorporate those meals into our week... if they want they get to help, and when they pick it out and help, they are normally excited to see what it taste like. I have gotten my girls to eat all kinds of things this way. Good luck to you. Being a mom is a hard job, but teaching your kids how to eat healthy will benefit them their entire life.

dgn5cs

If I didn't eat what my mother gave me she would serve it up to me for my next meal. I'm not a parent, so I'm probably going to get flamed here, but when did parents start pandering to kids like this? I'm just curious, did the parents of this generation do that? Mine didn't and certainly the previous generation couldn't afford to.

If my parents were having something I didn't like, my mother always made me buttered noodles. I can tell you if my mother did what yours did, I would have starved to death.

I have 5 kids and we have a saying at our house: "LTTB" which translates to "Long time 'til breakfast." If my kids don't care for what's on their plates they have to have two bites to try it and then they don't get anything else until breakfast. I teach appreciation and manners over whether or not your tummy is full. If they don't care for what I'm serving they can do without. Children will not starve themselves to death! People are always commenting on how polite my children are, and they are amazed that my children will eat anything I do - even sushi!

Sure we have Oreos or ice cream for a treat once in a while after school, but for the most part we don't have a dessert after dinner. By the way, my kids are not overweight because we hike and bicycle and they play at the park, etc. I'm not what I consider a health nut, but I serve balanced meals for my family, and since I'm trying to lose weight (I've lost 9 pounds since Jan. 1st - maybe 5 more to go) I'll forego the starch and just have the meat and veggies. I don't see a diet or any other circumstance as an opportunity to pander to my children. They have to be taught to be appreciative and to take responsibility for the decisions they make - food or otherwise.

judy20in2011

I am not one to strong arm my kid into eating something they truly seem to detest. Aren't you really teaching your child that food is now about power and control? I don't want my kids thinking food is something of a control issue. That being said, I am not a short order cook. I do try to plan ahead and if I am making something I know my EXTREMELY picky 6 yr old won't eat I will make one alternative for her. She used to eat EVERYTHING and then she hit 3 and somehow dinner became evil! If she flat out refuses to eat then she will go to bed with no dinner. And she is not the least bit fazed by it! I do require that she stay at the table until the rest are done eating as dinner is more than just the food. I buy healthy food, and a few treats but she definitely has to earn the treats by making healthy choices too. A wise doctor once told me "kids will eat what they need naturally" so as long as I don't allow her to go free-willy on junk I am trusting her body to guide her, along with some encouragement from me! She's growing and healthy so something's gotta be working!