Dinner, a meal in our home that I actually dread. Yes, I understand that dinner time is supposed to be a time of families coming together, sharing about their day, catching up with each other, and bonding in general. Yep, not in this All -American home!
Dinner time around here is probably more like the average home than not. I am not a planner. I'd like to be, but dinner options in our home are extremely limited. First of all, before I go any further, let me explain that I love to eat! Italian, Mexican, Thai, Chinese, you name it, I probably eat it. I've always wanted to make great meals, but unfortunately, none of my kids has ever agreed on an entire meal. NEVER!
Sigh, this must be my week of honesty. Our typical "meals" during a week will consist of:
Grilled Cheese sandwiches & canned or fresh fruit & milk
Spaghetti with sauce or cheese and fruit & milk
Pancakes & fruit & milk
Pizza & milk
Mac & cheese & fruit & milk
And who knows what else
Do you see an item missing completely from that list above? VEGETABLES!! I ♥ Veggies! My boys, not so much. Hence, the writing of this post. I continue to try and find new products to introduce to my kids so that they'll try a veggie in a different way.
Tonight I grabbed a bag of Green Giant Broccoli Cheese & Rice that I could microwave. Made the Grilled Cheese, pulled out some left over pears and doled out the food. It was time to call the boys and hope that my patience would hold out. My 10 yr old has gotten better with eating what I give him. I don't overwhelm him with a food I think he might only eat because he knows I want him to.
My 6 yr old on the other hand (Large roll of the eyes) is a food freak. The broccoli cheese & rice only occupied about 1/2 a teaspoon worth of space. Unfortunately, it is the item that consumed the most amount of time and drama. I've been here before with him. Many times like this have ended with him throwing up. Not even kidding. He sits there staring at his food and working himself up mentally. I encourage him to just take a bite and get it over with. I tell him he's just thinking too much about it and give him some suggestions on how it would probably be easier to eat. Then I leave. Tonight the food sat on his plate and on his fork for about 5 minutes. I knew this was heading to a blow out, literally, and I needed to leave the room so I didn't get upset with him.
I headed down to do the laundry and as I did, I heard some hurling noises and Doodle saying, "Oh, that's just great." I kept walking to the laundry room. I couldn't deal with it right then. The psychological place he works himself to is so beyond what I can comprehend. I mean, will he have an eating disorder? Where did this come from? I've neve
r heard of this before and find it somewhat disturbing. How can a 6 yr old get there? I offer these kinds of foods so rarely I don't think it's child abuse! The amount I offer him is so minuscule that I think it should be manageable to at least give it a try. Any ideas?
What would I love to have for dinner? Pot roast with red potatoes (which the boys don't eat), green beans (which neither boy eats), onions (again no boys), etc. How about some Chicken Parmesan with scalloped potatoes (which the boys won't eat), and peas (no boys here). Mmmm, a homemade Chicken Pot Pie. I'd be the ONLY one eating any of that.
4 comments:
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Wow, I can't imagine what you're going through and wish I had some advise to offer, my daughter is 19 months and I've been blessed with her eating pretty much anything I put in front of her, we gave avocados as her first food instead of cereal, she eats like a pig, I often wonder if she'll one day just change on me. Can you puree veggies into the spaghetti sauce or mix in some with the mac? Kids are funny uh? Hugs to you.
I can soooo relate to your dilema! My baby girl (Brittney) is now 18yrs old. When she was a baby to 2yrs old would eat whatever I gave her. I ran a home daycare, then decided to get a job outside of the home. Both of my girls went to MeMaws daycare....that's when Brittney started to become a picky eater. It was probably some deep rooted separation anxiety syndrome that caused her appetite change. Anyway her diet changed dramatically, we hoped when she started school she would eat whatever they served for school lunches....but Noooo! My other daughter Kaydee started out picky, but when she started school her appetite became more "normal". Brittney was & still is a "Hot dog, bologna, Mac n cheese, spaghetti, grilled cheese, chicken nugget, mashed potatoes & occasionally potroast" eating young adult. Brittney went through the dramatics as well when we tried to get her to try new things. I wish I could tell you they'll grow out of it...but I can't.
Be Blessed, Diane
I'm so sorry. We've had food wars at our house too. I've tried lots of different things over the years. For one of my dinky eaters I set a timer if we all finish and she is still dinking. For one of my picky eaters I've gotten to the point of saying that she'll eat it for every meal until she eats it. She only had dinner for breakfast once. I also think the more often you offer different foods, the better. I also try to alternate. I'll do one kid friendly meal, then a not-so-kid friendly meal. And good old fashioned bribery works well. "If you eat two bites of that, you can have this really yummy dessert!" But really, it's so individual to the kid. Good luck! I hope you figure something out.
I think it's impossible to please everyone. I hate meal times! LOL.
Oh and did you realize how often you serve fruit and milk? I bet you buy a ton of milk. I have a family of six...and a gallon..one gallon..can last a whole week..if not longer. LOL. My kids hate milk unless it's chocolate and my husband is lactose intolerant. lol. I love milk.
Been thinking about you....hope all is well!
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