Absolutely not. Yuck. Fortunately, he doesn't actually give me the option. He's currently signaling that he's done with his food by dumping the plate on the floor for the puppies. :-P

Good thing we have dogs, or my floors would be a disaster.

OMG I hate it when I do that! It's such a terrible habit both ways you look at it. It's terrible to waste food but it's also not good for you in the long run!

I used to and sometimes am very tempted, but I now control myself. It especially sucks as restaurants, when you feel like you are wasting money on good food. It can be very frustrating when they leave half a nice big cinnamon roll. I just ask if they will eat it later and wrap it up and put it out of sight to save it, or I throw it right away.

Just wondering how others cope when their kids leave something really yummy on their plate after a meal.... do you eat some or toss it? I just threw away my daughter's cinnamon raisin toast with butter so I wouldn't eat it! But, I really wanted some ;-)

Recently, I have them throw it away, immediately. It's hard to see the "wasted" food going in the trash, but it's healthier for me if I don't eat it. I try to look at it, now, as a good thing. My kids know when they're full, the recognize it and don't stuff themselves. That's a good quality I want them to keep.

Anyway, it's tough, but I try to push through it.

No I give mine smaller portions and if she wants a bit more then I give a bit more too her ,problem solved don't feel up the plate start out with a smaller portion.

haha yes I do this too sometimes! Sounds so much more embarrasing when someone says this bad habit aloud But instead of eating the leftovers, I try to pack them up and save them for his next meal. I hate throwing away food, it really kills me, so I will re-pack leftovers 2 or 3 times before I throw them away. Or at least feed them to the dog, so I can feel like someone is getting the food.

I do not, however, i have a few ideas of what you COULD do:

Take a bite BEFORE giving it to them if you REALLY want some. Then when they're done, you can tell yourself you've 'already had some.'
Throw it away.
Make dad eat it.

Usually the last one happens regardless.

If you feel like you're wasting food, you're(the restaurant, whoever) giving them too much. When you look at the small portion you gave them, remember that, over time, our idea of what an 'appropriate' portion size is has become inflated. This is clear when you see what the restaurant gives out. Also, keep in mind that you don't want to be telling your kids to 'clean the plate,' particularly when you're providing them with huge portions. It messed me up, I know! And i did see another poster talk about 'food going to waste'--who probably was told the same things as I was when they were young.

I am so glad I am not the only one.. I was feeding my son pumpkin peach "pie" with graham graham cracker and I totally started to feed him something else so I could finish the last of it. Gah!

kinda depends on what i've served them. i have a horrible time with any fastfood. mcnuggets! mmmm
and school snacks, like granola bars, or cheese and crackers.
without kids, i wouldn't have that stuff in the house. and sometimes, my day doesn't lend itself for homemade, natural, everything.

any tips on avoiding it?

I am so guilty of this myself!! I am so glad I saw this post, this gives me some idea of how to not do it, lol. I will definitely start giving smaller portions. Another hard thing for me is when I make large meals for the whole family and there are always left overs sitting on the stove. I am trying to work on portion control, so I don't put as much on my plate which is a good thing, but then I feel like I cancel it all out when I go to put my plate in the sink and nibble on the leftovers in the pan that are sitting on the stove!! Fortunately I have recognized this bad habit, and have started to clean everything up before I sit down to eat, so everything is already in the fridge when we are done. If anyone else wants more, they will have to get it themselves or have daddy get it for them!

I'm horrible at this! Especially if I REALLY wanted more but only made enough for my daughter and myself! This is gross but I LOVE bread, I think I like the crust better than the pizza. Nobody else in my house eats their crust so I'm always very helpful on pizza nights and take the plates to the kitchen...so I can eat the crust...smh I know that just sounds like I'm a lunatic!!!

Yes I love to do that. It has been hard. Plus, my eight year old is skinny so he never finishes his plate. Today at Boston Market, after diligently counting up the calories before stepping in the restaurant, my son and I had meatloaf. Of course, he struggled to finish half of each of the following: mashed potatoes and brown gravy (mmmm), the regular meatloaf serving, and green beans. He also ate none of the cornbread...seriously, he must be switched at birth. Normally, I would eat everything he didn't eat. But, tonight I asked for a bag and took the leftovers home. I have packed them up in tupperware and will take this to work tomorrow. This is what I will try to do from now on. A couple of times, I have told him to put his food down the disposal... then I hold my breath until he does it so that I can't tell him to bring it to me (so I can gobble it up.)