No Red Paint
Without going into too much detail, we are piss poor this week because the bank royally screwed us. (Again.) We’re out of all of Sam’s favorite foods except rice, and he is sick of rice. And refusing to eat anything else. Except candy, which we are oddly not out of.
So I am taking him to the store where I am going to spend the last of my crafting reserves on sausage and apples, which he will actually eat.
I’m sure there is some television nanny out there who would tell me that I am giving into him and letting him boss me around–i.e. Doing It Wrong–but frankly I don’t care. It is his body and he should be able to dictate (within reason and with guidance) what goes into it.
I think. I hope I’m right.
December 8th, 2009 at 1:06 pm
i agree. kids can decide what they’re hungry for. especially if their parents set good(ish) examples about healthy eating and they are offered a variety of whole, natural foods.
i do not allow battles over food in my house. which means we eat a lot of toddler pleasing meals. it’s much nicer to spend meal times talking and having fun instead of arguing about how many bites etc.
December 8th, 2009 at 2:46 pm
What are his favorite foods?
December 8th, 2009 at 2:48 pm
I’m guilty of not following the TV nanny’s advice on this subject either. My kids get to pick what they eat, and I think they should be allowed to do so. Having been a vegetarian for many years, I’m pretty respectful of people’s choices regarding food. The only downside to this is that my kids are kind of limited in what they WILL eat at this point. But I figure so are most kids – that’s what kids are known for, right? Being picky eaters. As long as they’re eating healthy food, the fact that I cater to their pickiness probably won’t matter in 20 years anyway. (or like you said, I think.)
December 8th, 2009 at 2:52 pm
Well, right now his favorite foods (at least of those available at Trader Joe’s) are spicy Italian sausage and honeycrisp apples. Actually, almost any kind of apple, but those are the ones I’ve been buying lately.
December 8th, 2009 at 2:54 pm
Oh, and popcorn! OMG this kid loves popcorn. But they only sell the microwave kind at TJ’s and it’s just not cost effective. There are lots of other foods he eats, but those are his favorites.
December 8th, 2009 at 3:52 pm
‘Course you’re right. Harper was incredibly picky and only now is really starting to branch out and try any new foods. Irina is very picky as well, but now that I’ve seen H reach the point where she will willingly broaden her horizons I’m not so worried about I. I can’t watch tv nanny shows. More than two minutes and I feel a strong urge to punch the tv screen.
December 8th, 2009 at 6:43 pm
YOU.ARE.RIGHT.
That said, all my kids are somewhat picky with Patrick being the absolute pickiest, even at age 21. When he was little, I talked to his pediatrician about it. The DOCTOR told me to feed him what he’ll eat. Give him the foods he likes and try to find what’s nutritional (that is, Patrick hated vegetables but likes many fruits) to make up for the things he didn’t like. The DOCTOR told me that making a child dread eating and upsetting them at dinner time wasn’t good for him. Yeah, I liked that doctor. Not all the ped doctors in the group were that good but this one was awesome and he was old school. I was sorry when he retired.
December 8th, 2009 at 7:21 pm
From purely anecdotal and therefore completely non-scientific data, I can say that people who grew up being forced to eat things they didn’t like (especially if they also had to eat everything on their plates) are more likely to have issues with food than people who were allowed to eat what they wanted.
So there, TV Nannies.
December 8th, 2009 at 7:28 pm
I find most anecdotal evidence far more compelling than any other kind.
December 8th, 2009 at 9:05 pm
Our rule has always been the child must take 2 bites of everything on their plate, and if they don’t want more, then that’s all they’ll have to eat. If they want a treat or 2nd’s, gotta eat the plate clean. But, I dish up the helpings for the lil’ ones and take into account likes/dislikes (i.e. only 2 bites’ worth). They are now 14, almost 12, 8, and 6 and none are picky. All eat a wide variety (cuz they’ve been exposed to a wide palette of foods) and are willing to try new things on their own. None are overweight either. So though we practice a more old-school approach, it doesn’t seem to have harmed them any.
December 9th, 2009 at 1:58 am
I used to be really, really picky as a child, and throughout most of my teenage years. Then I went to university and had to fend for myself, and learned new habits, so now I’ll eat more or less anything. (Except soggy bread. Jesus christ, I hate soggy bread.)
December 9th, 2009 at 2:42 pm
Mealtimes should not be battlegrounds.
I know you also do make an effort to get Sam to try new things, and that’s good too. He’ll grow into liking more stuff eventually, as long as he’s exposed to it.
Speaking of sausages, have you ever tried making sausage patties from scratch? You do need a meat grinder (about $20 at an Italian place), but it’s an awesome way of taking cheap meat (pork shoulder) and making it delicious. You don’t even need to stuff the sausage meat into casings. Come to think of it, you could just use ground pork and add flavourings too.
Having said that, no kid will starve themselves to death, just because you didn’t stock up on popcorn!
December 9th, 2009 at 4:40 pm
I second what ChiaLynn said about kids who are forced to eat what’s put in front of them and finish what’s on their plates grow up to have food issues. I was one of those kids and I blame my that on why I can NOT eat vegetables now. Seriously, I put it in my mouth and I can’t even chew it without wanting to gag. Yet, my friend, who wasn’t forced to eat things she didn’t like grew up to eat almost anything. And now, even thought my kids are still somewhat picky, they’re at least more open to TRYING new things AND old and finding that they might actually like things they didn’t before.
December 9th, 2009 at 5:39 pm
Your his mom, he’s your kid. You know what’s best. I would like to join this chorus of “So there, TV Nanny!” So there.
December 9th, 2009 at 5:39 pm
“Your his mom.” UGH I WILL NEVER LIVE THAT DOWN. *shame*