11-year-old says my food is terrible

[Anonymous]

This is a skinny kid so I'm not too thrilled about having him miss meals. He was never very picky when he was younger but how do you deal with preteen not wanting to eat what you serve for dinner? I know the general descriptions of my food being yucky are disrespectful but do I battle over his disrespect or just let this go and not feed him? By the way and he usually goes for cereal or ice cream about 9 PM. I deny him having something to eat later? Our pediatrician says just not to battle about the food but how do others handle this?

[Anonymous]

Hi, Op

My MIL had a saying that if you complained about dinner you had to make it the next night! So, we would joke and say "the soup is a little salty but it is just the way I like it!" But back to your question perhaps you could encourage your son to learn how to cook? Maybe you could take a class together and learn how to cook together? They say kids who plant vegetables/fruit themselves tend to eat them so perhaps if he cooked ( with your help) he would then eat it?

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

[Anonymous]

Let him start doing the cooking.

[Anonymous]

I have two who like to approach dinner like they are judges on Chopped. That got old really fast.

[Anonymous]

I would nix the ice cream. He needs to eat real food for calories, not just junk. What does he suggest you cook? BTW, at this age, he can make himself a sandwich of some sort, even eggs with some vegetables. He doesn't have to eat a home cooked meal, but he should be eating real food on most nights, not junk.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Let him start doing the cooking.

+1. And no ice cream.

[Anonymous]

I would teach him to make a limited number of alternative items he could do himself--such as grilled cheese or other sandwich or scrambled eggs--and those would be his only choices other than the main meal. No dessert unless he ate something reasonably healthy first.

[Anonymous]

Maybe your cooking DOES stink? My father confirmed that my mother's cooking went very far downhill when I was in middle school. (He didn't tell me until I was an adult.) He just started cooking dinners.

Can you ask your husband or a friend who'd tell you the truth? Meanwhile I'd tell him "So look up some recipes you'd like to try. I'll help you."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let him start doing the cooking.

+1. And no ice cream.

+2. This is how I learned to cook -- I was sick of my mother's cooking. Let him look through a few cookbooks and pick something, then make it. Also, teach him that if he doesn't like something, it's rude to say "That's terrible." You say "I don't care for beets, thank you." Or "I prefer my meat more rare." or whatever the issue is.

Even my 7 year old knows that if he isn't going to eat Mom's cooking, he can go make himself a sandwich and grab some veggies from the fridge.

[Anonymous]

Tell us the meals you have fixed the last three times he has rejected.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: This is a skinny kid so I'm not too thrilled about having him miss meals. He was never very picky when he was younger but how do you deal with preteen not wanting to eat what you serve for dinner? I know the general descriptions of my food being yucky are disrespectful but do I battle over his disrespect or just let this go and not feed him? By the way and he usually goes for cereal or ice cream about 9 PM. I deny him having something to eat later? Our pediatrician says just not to battle about the food but how do others handle this?

Who would allow that? You brought this on yourself, OP.

First, he has to apologize for saying that about your food.
Then, ask him for suggestions on cooking, and this summer, teach him to cook. He's old enough to learn making simple meals. That includes selecting items at the grocery store, composing a meal, cooking, serving and cleaning up.

Turn lemons into lemonade, OP!

And NO cereal or ice cream at 9pm, for God's sake. I have a 3th percentiler - he's not allowed that either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: This is a skinny kid so I'm not too thrilled about having him miss meals. He was never very picky when he was younger but how do you deal with preteen not wanting to eat what you serve for dinner? I know the general descriptions of my food being yucky are disrespectful but do I battle over his disrespect or just let this go and not feed him? By the way and he usually goes for cereal or ice cream about 9 PM. I deny him having something to eat later? Our pediatrician says just not to battle about the food but how do others handle this?

Who would allow that? You brought this on yourself, OP.

First, he has to apologize for saying that about your food.
Then, ask him for suggestions on cooking, and this summer, teach him to cook. He's old enough to learn making simple meals. That includes selecting items at the grocery store, composing a meal, cooking, serving and cleaning up.

Turn lemons into lemonade, OP!

And NO cereal or ice cream at 9pm, for God's sake. I have a 3th percentiler - he's not allowed that either.

Don't be a twit. He's 11 not 2.

[Anonymous]

If you own some cookbooks, I'd have him pick out a few recipes he can make with you. (If not, I would go to the bookstore or library and have him pick out a cookbook.)

You may want to stop buying ice cream for a while until he stops being so obstinate. There are plenty of places to stop for a cone for a treat.

Taco night is usually a good go-to for picky eaters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: This is a skinny kid so I'm not too thrilled about having him miss meals. He was never very picky when he was younger but how do you deal with preteen not wanting to eat what you serve for dinner? I know the general descriptions of my food being yucky are disrespectful but do I battle over his disrespect or just let this go and not feed him? By the way and he usually goes for cereal or ice cream about 9 PM. I deny him having something to eat later? Our pediatrician says just not to battle about the food but how do others handle this?

Who would allow that? You brought this on yourself, OP.

First, he has to apologize for saying that about your food.
Then, ask him for suggestions on cooking, and this summer, teach him to cook. He's old enough to learn making simple meals. That includes selecting items at the grocery store, composing a meal, cooking, serving and cleaning up.

Turn lemons into lemonade, OP!

And NO cereal or ice cream at 9pm, for God's sake. I have a 3th percentiler - he's not allowed that either.

Don't be a twit. He's 11 not 2.

I'll bet my left nut that this didn't start at age 11

[Anonymous]

When mine was about that age, he told me my cooking smelled and tasted like shit.

I told him fine, you don't have to eat anything I cook. I locked the pantry, put a padlock on the refrigerator. He had all the water and raw vegetables he wanted, some fruit. Gave him lunch money for school and that was it. He actually thought I would buy him cookies, pop tarts, chips, cokes, all his favorites. Stuff I rarely bought but he ate at family homes.

Lasted two days before he apologized and said he was dying from starvation.

Never had another problem.