Once upon a time, when this mommy only had two fussy eaters, her pediatrician told her not to cave and become a short order cook. His rule at the dinner table was, "Serve ONE thing ONLY. If they choose not to eat it, they go to bed hungry, eventually, they will learn to eat what you serve." (Note, pediatrician was not a parent at time of this discussion.) Well, a few kids and several years later I see things differently. Tonight all 7 of us were home at the same time for dinner. (A rare occasion.) This was the menu:
Chris, Jo Anne, Kylie --- Garden salad with grilled chicken
CJ --- 2 hot dogs on buns
Avery --- spaghettios
Madi --- macaroni and cheese
Kami --- 1 hot dog cut up, lil' bit mac and cheese
After we said Grace and started eating I realized, "I just made 4 different things for dinner. I am the SHORT ORDER COOK MOM." I must confess, it was a tear free, cry free, stress free meal. Everyone ATE. No one yelled. I liked it.
So, to all of you young mommy's I say, "FEED YOUR KIDS WHAT YOU KNOW THEY WILL EAT. The extra 5 minutes you spend heating up chicken nuggets, or making a pb&j sandwich almost guarantees a stress free meal. I promise you, someday, they will EAT like an ADULT. For now, let them eat like the child they are.
(End note....I switched to a pediatrician who has realistic expectations of children!!!!)
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