Sick of Feeding my Kids

[Anonymous]

I feel you. I never knew that feeding my kids would be the source of SO much stress and drama.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t really understand this issue which is so common among parents. When I was a kid we ate what was put in front of us or we didn’t eat. ‘You get what you get and you don’t get upset.’ Of course we were neuro typical so I certainly understand in some cases kids can’t cope, but neurotypical kids will not starve themselves, they will eat eventually. When I see mothers (it’s almost always mothers) bending over backward and preparing multiple meals to accommodate all preferences I am just mind blown. I don’t know any kids I grew up with who had that kind of . . . coddling. Is it part of what they teach in the parenting classes and books of recent decades? If not, how does this even start? Are young moms really so afraid their child will fail to thrive absent constant efforts to provide them with the food they want? What I’ve seen in practical terms is a lot of American kids growing up eating chicken nuggets most nights or Mac and cheese or whatever their favorite and not actually getting a good balanced diet nor an exposure to various foods that will encourage an inquisitive palate in later life. It’s sad.

Serious question, did you grow up poor? In my middle class/umc childhood, there were definitely accommodations for picky kids. I wasn’t picky but my brother survived on cereal and hot dogs. My friend ate only bagels for many meals.

Upper middle class person here. My experience as a kid was the same. You ate what was served. This was usually a protein, a starch, a veggie
and a side salad. If you did not like an item you ate the other three. There was no special catering of items to the kids in our family.

Yes, and this resulted in some kids who just ate bread and butter for years, or never ate a single vegetable, or went to bed hungry all the time. It's just that when we were kids that was considered fine. You're kid doesn't eat what is served? Oh well, they'll figure it out eventually.

The reason parents stress now and you see more catering is that this is no longer considered acceptable. A kid eating only starches with milk, no protein or vegetables? Malnourished. People will also blame kids' diets for everything for all manner of other issues, from ADHD to friend troubles to lack of athleticism or poor grades.

It used to be that if a child didn't eat his vegetables, everyone (the doctor, the teacher, the neighbor, grandma, etc.) blamed the kid. But now if the kid won't eat his vegetables, everyone blames the parents (and let's get real: mom). And that's why you see parents stressing out so much over picky eaters, and why it's so hard to follow the directive to just serve them healthy food and let them decide. Because many kids will make poor choices, and parents will be blamed.

You cannot win.

Preach. This sounds right.

Yes!

[Anonymous]

My kids are 18 months and 3 and I’m pregnant with my third. I feel this.

My 18 month old will not eat any meat or eggs and is very picky about everything. Ny three year old is better but it’s common for her to ask for peanutbutter abs jelly after I make homemade pizza or chicken. Can’t believe in a year I’ll have to deal with three kids like this!

[Anonymous]

Thank for other PPs sharing. Struggling with the same.

Fwiw, my kids are mostly open to trying new foods - they will take a bite. But they won’t eat enough to make a meal out of it, and they will go to bed hungry - that’s how strong the resistance is. It actually happened last night - we went to a friends house serving tacos, and my kids only ate the rice and chips. They didn’t like the dessert so ate none. They went to bed hungry. It’s not the first time, and probably won’t be the last - my kids are all super skinny becasue they are so picky.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids are 18 months and 3 and I’m pregnant with my third. I feel this.

My 18 month old will not eat any meat or eggs and is very picky about everything. Ny three year old is better but it’s common for her to ask for peanutbutter abs jelly after I make homemade pizza or chicken. Can’t believe in a year I’ll have to deal with three kids like this!

I mean this nicely. Stop the short-order cooking right now. Dinner is x, y, and z (whenever adults are having.) You can cut up or deconstruct but do NOT make an alternative. They don’t have to eat it if they don’t want. They will not starve.

You don’t want to stay on the road you are on with 3 kids.

[Anonymous]

I have 4 kids under 10 years old. A few of them are very picky. I had the genius idea one day to draw the line in the sand - if they don’t like dinner, they cannot complain. They can make themselves a peanut butter (or pbj) and then eat with us. As young as 6, my kids have tearfully pulled out the bread and pb and made their own clumsy sandwiches while the rest of us eat. It’s how we live our life now, I have no regrets. Choices are dinner we made or pbj.