Do you "enjoy" a nightly battle over dinner? Well, I do, and its becoming more and more frequent. The result...mommy and daddy are going bonkers. I used to brag and be the envy (okay...an exaggeration, but I'm running with it) of all my friends because my kids "eat everything". Yep, that's right: blue hake, salmon, sushi, avocado, chicken, broccoli, peas, carrots, ANYTHING! But now, we sit down at the table and the kids just stare at the plate/bowl of food. Its always my oldest, L, that starts first, the lip pouts out, arms cross, and the eyes start to water. The girls, whether or not they have already begun to eat, pick up on the discourse and immediately start the whining. Then, its just the looks of disgust as they sit at the table, refusing to eat.
Grrr! We do NOT offer the kids anything else to eat. Oh, you don't want this delicious food, why not have cereal or a PB&J?! Oh no! I hold my ground; you eat what is in front of you or you don't eat. Then, of course, more tears, even though they already know the deal. We tell the kids that they can't get down from the table until they have at least one bite. No big deal. We don't begin to pester, typically we just ignore them. Well, until the "baby" decided that she's not going to eat because her big brother and sister aren't. Now, we strongly encourage that first bite. 60% of the time, at least, they like the food and decide on their own to continue to eat. Sometimes, we are forced to call out the big guns: "badEssert" as J calls it. It doesn't matter what it is (ice cream, yogurt, fruit, cake, pudding), but the promise of something more to come just thrills them.
But, what's really getting to me is that the kids, especially the girls are getting to the point where they insist on being fed. Yep, my 3 1/2 year old wants me to feed her since I'm feeding the 22 month old. So, here I sit, in between my girls, bite to C, turn, bite to J, repeat. Oh, but wait, I don't get to eat. Not to worry, I have realized that I must now scarf my food down in the beginning of the meal to compensate for this. Pretty soon, I'll have a newborn, on the boob, and be between 2 whiny girls that want fed, at the dinner table. This does not look too promising. So, this month, I have determined that I, we, will find a solution to this problem/drama.
So, where to begin? Do I start to make meals that I know they will LOVE (macaroni and cheese, hotdogs, chicken, chinese, pizza, white rice, spaghetti, etc) or do I continue to offer a variety of healthy options (veggie pasta bake, salmon, lentil and veggie soup, cabbage and bean soup, veggie patties, etc)? If I offer the "crap", will that encourage them to hold out for junk or will they be encouraged to eat whatever is put in front of them? Gosh, being a mom is difficult. Not only do you have to worry about their safety, education, and whether or not they are honest/good people, but you also have to be concerned about making sure they do not become obese. I really don't want to fail at ANY of these.
Not to mention, when I moved to BFE from San Francisco, the thing I missed the most was the cuisine. I could/can not stand that 90% of my options for restaurants are either Italian or chain restaurants. Why should I lose the remainder of my culinary pleasures because I became a parent?! That just doesn't make sense. So, in addition to ending the dinner battle, my goal is to ensure that my kids are adventurous eaters. I surely hope that this is an attainable goal. I guess this is to be continued....
I say keep it up! We tell our kids they'll eat what I made or starve. I don't feel bad about it. I've done it long enough that they know I mean business, and 98% of the time they'll eat what's in front of them. Don't offer them the crap they want, or that will continue to be all they want as they grow up. ( I have watched this very thing with Cameron's family...) They'll appreciate the variety of healthful foods you offered them as their tastes mature, and that's what they'll reach for as adults.
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