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Last Thursday night, I was preparing for a presentation I am giving on 'How To Feed Your Picky Eater'. I was putting together all my tips for parents when I realized it was time for dinner. My nanny had prepared steak (a lean cut trimmed of all fat), mashed potatoes (without butter, milk, or oil) and string beans. Zachary immediately began to throw himself around. "I HATE STEAK!" he screamed. "I WANT TO EAT PIZZA. I AM NOT GOING TO EAT STEAK!" I explained to him that we had eaten pizza the day before at a party and today we eating something else. He would not budge. It was as though I were being tested... was I really prepared to give a lecture about what to do with a picky eater? We would soon find out. I put my foot down. "You will eat what Katie made or you will go hungry. I know that you love mashed potatoes and you need to learn to eat more than just pizza." Zachary told me he would not eat anything and I said that was fine with me. Dinner was served and placed in front of him. Danielle, of course, sat smiling and saying, "Mommy, I love this meal! I'm a good girl, right?" "Yes," I said. "You are a good girl." Danielle and I began to eat and Zachary just sat there. "Can I have peanut butter and jelly?" he asked. "That's healthy." I explained that even though PB&J is healthy, he had to learn to eat with the family. Eventually he took a bite of the potatoes... and then a bite of meat. He ate half the plate by the time dinner was over. At the end of the meal, he asked, "Can we have pizza tomorrow?" I told him I would think about it.
All in all, it was a successful meal. I think I passed the test!
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2 comments:
It's so great to hear that you go through the same things. I always love your advice because I know you can relate to my life. I can't wait to read more.
You know I see dinner be a power struggle way to often with parents and kids. I really have not wanted that in my home. I want dinner to be an enjoyable experience for all of us. My kids know I work hard to make sure we have a good healthy meal on the table every night and that is what's for dinner. If my picky one doesn't like what we are having I ask him to please try it and if he still doesn't like it he can grab an apple or something. (Which is usually as healthy if not more so then dinner;) Most of the time he finds he enjoys his dinner.
I just don't really think dinner time is a time for power struggles. It's a time for family's to meet together talk about their day and bond!
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