Picky Eaters Who Choose To Make Dinnertime As Difficult As Possible
No parent sets out to raise a child who is a picky eater; it just happens. Sometimes it starts off as a quiet rebellion where they reject a few specific vegetables. Other times, it's a full-blown personality change where they decide that they hate everything you've ever fed them.
Whatever kind of picky eater you're dealing with, know you're not alone. These parents are also going through it.
Let's Talk About Transferable Skills
All those people who claim that being a parent isn't a job? They've never tried to negotiate with a toddler.
You're basically a trained hostage negotiator by the time your kid is 3.
Get Ready For A Standoff
Making your child sit at the table until they eat all their vegetables is really more of a punishment for you than it is for them.
All that happens is you're left sitting at the table with them, begging them to eat the broccoli because everyone else finished eating 30 minutes ago.
They Don't Always Grow Out Of It
As the parent of a picky eater, you probably tell yourself that your child will grow out of it. That they'll develop a taste for food other than chicken fingers.
That isn't always the case, though. Sometimes they just grow into picky teens, and then picky adults.
Flipping The Script On Her
Maybe she should remember this feeling the next time she refuses to eat the meal that her mother prepared for her.
Now she understands why mom just really wants her to eat the carrots that are on her plate.
Food Should Never Be Green
Even though you know that they're not going to like the food that's on your plate, they're still going to cry about the fact that you won't let them have any.
It's a law of nature, and we just have to accept it.
Ask And You Shall Receive, Then You Shall Reject
It doesn't matter that they specifically asked you to make something for them. All that matters is they no longer want it.
Your choice is to eat it or throw it out, so there's a clear winning option here.
Skip To The End
You told yourself that you wouldn't be the parent who made a separate meal for their children. You told yourself that your kids would be raised to eat whatever you were eating...
How's that working out for you?
It's Taking A Field Trip
You continue to pack the fruit in their lunch just in case the teacher peeks into your kid's lunchbox one day, but you know it's coming home.
Tomorrow, you can re-pack it and pretend they're going to eat it.
A New Dislike Every Day
Contrary to what you may think, it actually doesn't matter that your kid liked a certain food yesterday or last week.
Today is a new day. That means it's a new opportunity to develop a hatred for a food they used to love.
You Have To Try At Least One Bite
If there was a prize for making snap decisions on absolutely no basis, your child would win first place.
It doesn't matter that they don't know what a casserole is. They know enough to know they don't want it.
That Food Better Not Be Touching Either
It's always better to err on the side of caution when it comes to making up your child's plate.
Use their favorite plate, arrange the food to make sure nothing is touching, and always underserve them because even though they said they're starving, they'll get distracted in a few minutes.
Please Keep Your Judgments To Yourself
If everyone could keep all judgments to themselves until the end of the meal, mom can at least drown out their complaints by running the water loudly while she does the dishes.
Or they could just never voice their complaints.
She Has Bigger Things To Worry About Than Chicken Nuggets
So now she decides that she's going to have standards.
Children always choose to have a backbone at the worst times, don't they? She's not even old enough to read the box, but she knows that those nuggets are different.
They Wear You Down
Parenting is all about picking your battles, and this is one that wasn't worth fighting anymore.
One Fruit Roll-Up as a treat with dinner isn't going to kill them.
Selective Hearing And Eating
As long as there are condiments like ketchup or ranch available, your kids are probably going to at least be willing to take a bite or two.
No promises on what happens after those first few bites, though. There are no guarantees.
All The Food Groups Are Covered
These are just a few of the classic staples in your child's diet that you should be prepared to serve at a moment's notice.
This nutritional pyramid looks a little different than the one you learned about in health class.
Keep Up The Charade
It will reach a point where both you and your child are well aware of the fact that they're not going to eat the food you're setting in front of them.
You still do it, though, so you can say you gave it the good ol' college try.
Payback Is Coming
You spent years of your life catering to their needs, now it's time for a little bit of payback.
The first time they make Thanksgiving dinner, you can spend 10 minutes at the table crying about the fact that there's celery in the stuffing.
You Can't Do Anything Right
Before you make any sort of drastic decision about the food you're about to feed your child, you should always check with them first.
Ask before you make the cut, before you add the plum sauce, or before you reheat that piece of pizza.
Some Foods Just Shouldn't Mingle
This level of picky eating is a lot more manageable than some others.
So long as you make sure that the foods aren't mingling with each other, your kid will (probably) eat everything.
Bold Move, Kid
Kids have no fear, and this is proof of that.
That is a bold move from that child, after spending the entire meal refusing to eat the food that had been put in front of her.
Keep Going With The Choices
The list will just have to go on and on until they hear something that they're happy about.
You might be able to circle back and repeat things you already said. See if it piques their interest the second or third time around.
A Picture Would Be Helpful Too
Before you order the $10 child's meal off the menu, you need a guarantee that your child is actually going to eat the version of chicken nuggets and fries that is going to be set in front of them.
A picture or detailed description would really help the cause.
Can Someone Else Handle Meal Times?
You love being a parent and all the joys and challenges that come with that. Except for this one.
Trying to feed your picky child is not a challenge you want to face anymore.
Their Standards Are Practically On The Floor
They refuse to put on their pants properly and they try to stick pieces of Legos up their brother's nose, but they've got to draw the line somewhere.
Carrots are where they choose to draw the line.
Ketchup Is Your Saving Grace
It doesn't matter if you think it's gross that your child insists on smothering all their food in ketchup.
All that matters is your kid is eating it, so let it be.
The Leftovers Are All Yours
There's no point in making yourself a meal until you've fed your child.
You've got at least a 40% chance that your picky child is going to refuse the food you put down on the table, so you can eat it instead.
Parsley Has No Place In That House
Parsley barely even has a flavor, but that doesn't matter.
Your kids know that you're trying to sneak a new food into their meal, and they're not going to stand for it.
Eating Out Can Be Difficult Too
You're tired of making meals that your tiny tot rejects, so you decide to take them out to eat for once!
The problem is, now you've just got less control over how their food is made, and they're still equally as demanding.
