Re: A great article regarding those picky eaters...it will make you feel better!

Stephanie wrote:
"Ericka Kammerer" <eek@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:2eWdnUJnrf3nZZPanZ2dnUVZ_oGjnZ2d@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Therefore,
while it may be true that a child will eat something unpalatable
rather than starve, that doesn't mean that the same child won't
go to the mat for days on end in a power struggle.

I think the avoidance of a power struggle as a parenting mantra has been over played. There is more than one way to avoid a power struggle. Giving in to the child's wishes is not the only one. If you truly believe that

1. a healthy diet is a very important life-long habit
2. no human, barring mental healthy issues, will intentially starve themselves
3. optionally, have more than oen child to make noticing less easy

You serve the food that you serve. You go along with your life giving it no more thought than that. The child growns, his hair grows, his fingernails grow. That's it. There is nothing for the child to struggle against. If the child protests, it is easy enough to sympathize that they don't like what is for dinner. And indeed, I sometimes don't like what we are having for dinner and have confessed to my kids that I then eat just enough not to suffer hunger pangs until the next meal.

And if I put a meal on the table that has nothing my
one child will eat, then he simply won't eat. And if I tried
to "break" him with those time honored tactics like forcing
two bites before he can leave the table, or bringing the same
plate out meal after meal until he consented to eat it, then
he would continue not to eat. Period.
Also, while I am of the school that says you put the
food on the table and people eat (or not) as they choose,
I think that it is also the case that in a respectful family,
one does put *some* consideration of preferences into the
meal planning. While I don't always make my favorite foods,
there are things I don't expect myself to eat. Liver is pretty
much never on our menu. Not having liver is not particularly
compromising our health. I don't see that it's the end of the
earth if other folks in the family have some things they
really dislike as well. I'm not going to be a short order
oook, and I'm going to insist on a healthy diet overall, and
I'm not going to live on "kids food," but I also think there's
room to respect people and their dietary preferences in a
reasonable way rather than taking a hard line "I cook, you
shut up and eat (or not)" stance.

Pushing food on a child is a huge mistake. I am suggesting that allowing children to eat nothign but noodles is also a mistake.

Agreed, but there are huge differences depending on
the child. Some kids are only eating noodles because they've
been allowed to "get away" with it, and others are eating noodles
because there are far more serious issues (not entirely parentally
induced) at play.

Best wishes,
Ericka
.

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