Hey parents of toddlers: have you ever found yourself wanting to "starve out" your children in order to make them eat the things on the plate that you know are healthy for them? This guy has. Look, I'm not proud of it, but food prioritization is tough to avoid! Something happens when your kids hit 2-- they realize that they are the bosses of intake. Don't get me wrong, I still get to decide what I put on their plates, but they're smart enough to know to refuse the kale "prize" when they can take what's behind door number 2 (mac and cheese?). It's frustrating on many levels. I know that the delicious veggies I have prepared both
a) cost more
and
b) are better for them
but unless I do something to doctor the veggies to make them crazy delicious, they'll wait for the next course. On the days that I'm ballsy enough to just serve the healthy thing I want to offer them, most of the time, they just skip the meal and hope for something better at snack time. And when this happens, the dreaded words we promised would never leave our lips echo throughout the room. "No mac and cheese for anybody who doesn't eat the kale."
Boom. Now they're eating veggies, but at a tremendous cost-- the mac and cheese is the prize to be earned. The kale? It's the "grunt work" they have to get through to earn what they want. Now, veggies suck and mac and cheese is the bomb. And I suck at parenting.
No great lesson here-- just a dad venting about a tough issue. And if you don't sympathize with me, I'm not giving you any blueberry pie.
This Dad is all ears if you have thoughts on this issue.
The NYTimes agrees with your efforts (thereby categorizing you as a pretty stellar parent). http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/02/opinion/bad-eating-habits-start-in-the-womb.html?src=me&ref=general&_r=0
ReplyDeleteThanks, Christina! Though, I think being aware doesn't make me good at it...
ReplyDeleteMy parents practiced a slight variation on this theme that I certainly found impactful. The rule was "if you don't eat it now, it will be your only option at the next feeding" and I learned quickly after refusing cauliflower one dinner (and the following breakfast). My only reward was the privilege of eating warm & creamy vs. cold & slimy cauliflower when it got served up again! And today I am healthy and I always clean my plate and I love my parents very much.
ReplyDeleteSo glad to see you're reading, Sunny! And I kind of love that idea. Might have to try it. Lily is smart enough to make a meal of snacks, which may make it hard-- but we can certainly try.
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