It's 6:30 and my kids have been in bed for 1/2 hour. Not spanked soundly, because that's not how we roll, but I did send them to bed when they wouldn't touch their dinner.
I have been trying, thinking it was the best thing to do for the kids, to cook one friendly-for-everyone meal in the evenings (with tweaks for the kids and for us), but Miss A, especially, won't touch a lot of things, and Itsyboo, who adores his big sister more than anything, pushes his plate away if he sees Miss A refusing to eat.
And it's not like I'm attempting anything outrageous. Tonight's debacle was a beef and carrot stew served with a jacket potato. Not challenging, nouveau, or any other kind of cuisine, just a simple meal.
We don't have a lot of rules around meal time: try one bite of each thing, no cutlery in your water glass, wait for everyone to finish before you get down from the table. But even the "try one bite" is getting harder and harder and I despair, y'all, when I've spent a lot of time putting together a healthy, home-cooked, nourishing meal and the response is simply "nope."
Is there any way to raise a child who's not a fussy eater? Should I just go back to nursery teas with a proper supper for grown-ups? The kids clearly aren't starving, but I really don't care for the teatime battle. Share your wisdom, please!
I know someone who gives her kids the uneaten meal for breakfast the next morning... then lunch... then dinner... basically until it's eaten. Sounds harsh but it worked for her. I get that my kids don't like all foods {I don't!} but if they try it and genuinely don't like it, fair enough. Also... its amazing how the promise of a chocolate coin can assist! Bon chance, mon ami!
ReplyDeleteI read a book about that technique. It was sarcastically called Mommy Dearest.
DeleteI haven't tried giving them the uneaten meal again, but I don't offer any alternatives. What's for tea is what there is for tea... Miss A just says she's not hungry and then complains when I won't give her a snack ten minutes later. I don't give in, but it's frustrating!!! Tonight, even the promise of ice cream wouldn't get her to take a bite!
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