Hosting step-grandson for two weeks- how to deal with food fussiness

[Anonymous]

I'm going to be the dissenting voice. The kid's 12. He's old enough to understand that it's unreasonable to expect other people to cater to his extreme pickiness. It's normal to have likes and dislikes.- to like some vegetables but not other vegetables. It's not normal to write off entire food groups and only eat frozen pizza for dinner. The only reason that he's become this bad is because his parents have constantly indulged him.

Don't force him to eat anything but don't cater to his pickiness. Make whatever you normally make. Once or twice a week, make one of his favorites. (This is normal amount of catering to a guest, not changing your entire diet for 2 weeks.) If he doesn't want to eat whatever you make, then he make a sandwich or heat up a frozen pizza himself.

[Anonymous]

Cancel the visit. Do the kid a favor. Not everyone likes all cooking and you need to be a bit flexible. You aren't going to change the kid in two weeks. Trust me, my Mom tried that. It was a full year before I let her take my child again as she basically starved him for a few days in a power struggle that she wasn't going to win.

[Anonymous]

You aren't going to change his preferences and bad habits that see ubiquitous with young families. I stopped fighting this battle long ago and have a great relationship with my grandkids. I do urge them to try one bite of every new food we are eating. They get points and rewards for doing this but it doesn't change much about their eating habits.

[Anonymous]

You're mean. Let him have pizza.

[Anonymous]

So it sounds like your husband cooks too? That typically you split cooking? I'd decide that he handles all the cooking for the two weeks. Take yourself out of the equation.

[Anonymous]

OP sounds insufferable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, come back.

She won't.

She expected a different outcome based off the constant dcum threads complaining about grandparents feeding the grandkids cookies, ice cream and McDonalds.

When the food crazies of dcum won't band together to support you and your food restrictions, you know you have crossed the line.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm going to be the dissenting voice. The kid's 12. He's old enough to understand that it's unreasonable to expect other people to cater to his extreme pickiness. It's normal to have likes and dislikes.- to like some vegetables but not other vegetables. It's not normal to write off entire food groups and only eat frozen pizza for dinner. The only reason that he's become this bad is because his parents have constantly indulged him.

Don't force him to eat anything but don't cater to his pickiness. Make whatever you normally make. Once or twice a week, make one of his favorites. (This is normal amount of catering to a guest, not changing your entire diet for 2 weeks.) If he doesn't want to eat whatever you make, then he make a sandwich or heat up a frozen pizza himself.

Aw, cute.

Your 2 year old will have opinions about food soon enough.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm going to be the dissenting voice. The kid's 12. He's old enough to understand that it's unreasonable to expect other people to cater to his extreme pickiness. It's normal to have likes and dislikes.- to like some vegetables but not other vegetables. It's not normal to write off entire food groups and only eat frozen pizza for dinner. The only reason that he's become this bad is because his parents have constantly indulged him.

Don't force him to eat anything but don't cater to his pickiness. Make whatever you normally make. Once or twice a week, make one of his favorites. (This is normal amount of catering to a guest, not changing your entire diet for 2 weeks.) If he doesn't want to eat whatever you make, then he make a sandwich or heat up a frozen pizza himself.

The kid isn't even there yet. For all OP knows he has matured enough to gracefully decline after trying a food; or maybe he hasn't. But OP plans to start off on the wrong foot right away. By the way, a kid not liking a variety of vegetables isn't extreme pickiness. And the pizza was grandpa's idea of a fall back IF he doesn't like what they are serving. The kid never said he'd only eat pizza and never any vegetables. OP teed it up that way.

[Anonymous]

I am guessing that vegetables are generally served limp and soaked in some sort of vinegar sugar dressing, most people would pick around them.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't be cooking special meals for someone for 2 weeks who didn't have allergies but was just a spoiled brat who refused to eat vegetables. Good grief.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't be cooking special meals for someone for 2 weeks who didn't have allergies but was just a spoiled brat who refused to eat vegetables. Good grief.

Don't host, step grandma.

A good host plans and prepares meals their guests will likely enjoy.

If you are going to pick a fight about meals with a guest before they have eaten a single bite in your house, you are not cut out to host.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't be cooking special meals for someone for 2 weeks who didn't have allergies but was just a spoiled brat who refused to eat vegetables. Good grief.

P.S. I have to add that I also know how to cook. I'm not American, and we don't eat or cook "American food" but I agree with the others that German food is disgusting. I had the misfortune of living there for a few years and I wouldn't be forcing anyone to eat German food, picky eater or not.

[Anonymous]

I have a picky eater, so I have some sympathy. However he is 12. If he doesn’t want what you prepare he can make himself a bowl of cereal or PB&J sandwich or heat up a HotPocket. Find out 1-3 things he does eat and have those.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a picky eater, so I have some sympathy. However he is 12. If he doesn’t want what you prepare he can make himself a bowl of cereal or PB&J sandwich or heat up a HotPocket. Find out 1-3 things he does eat and have those.

Yes, he can if he’s allowed to, but OP is gonna NEIN that.