Unhappy Meal
Both of my kids went to bed without their dinner tonight.
Not as a punishment. It was their choice.
Apparently, I served such a horrible gag-inducing meal that they preferred to go to bed hungry.
What did I put on the table? Four-Bean Salad, Tortellini & Broccoli Salad, Pea Soup (with carrots from our garden), and Sliced Hot Dogs in a Ketchup/Pineapple Sauce.
They wouldn't touch any of it.
I told them that I wasn't going to make a separate meal just for them, that we all eat what's put on the table. Or they can simply go to bed without eating. And that's what they happily decided to do. It's the first time they've both willingly not eaten dinner.
Not as a punishment. It was their choice.
Apparently, I served such a horrible gag-inducing meal that they preferred to go to bed hungry.
What did I put on the table? Four-Bean Salad, Tortellini & Broccoli Salad, Pea Soup (with carrots from our garden), and Sliced Hot Dogs in a Ketchup/Pineapple Sauce.
They wouldn't touch any of it.
I told them that I wasn't going to make a separate meal just for them, that we all eat what's put on the table. Or they can simply go to bed without eating. And that's what they happily decided to do. It's the first time they've both willingly not eaten dinner.
Permalink posted by Phil at 12:46 AM
27 Comments:
ketchup and pineapple sauce ? sounds ...interesting
Check under the bed for chocolate wrappers...
I'm with Lee. My kids do this all the time. After I think I've been nice and stern, I find out later that they've stolen away with an entire box of crackers and hidden them under their beds.
Ketchapple? Pinechup? I think you may have lost them at the third bean.
Sounds great to me, though! I'm glad to hear you stuck to your guns. I've met a few parents who make separate dinners for themselves and their kids--and sometimes for each individual child!
How ironic, we did the same thing last night. Not only did Seth eat some of the family dinner, he tried something new, too.
Lael is easier. She eats almost anything -- except tofu.
The Goo will eat anything and everything, including curry. The Boo was doing pretty good until bday no. 5 arrived. All of a sudden he is picky as all get out. I've always told him he either eats what we eat or he doesn't eat. I agree with you, Phil, it's enough work preparing one meal. I don't know if you've tried guilting them yet. "There are starving kids who'd love this food." It hasn't worked for me yet ...
Wow. Sounds good to me. Can I have the leftovers??
My kids would have eaten only the tortellini (without the broccoli). But the meal sounds great to grownups! :) Maybe it was too many new foods to introduce at one meal. I'm sure breakfast tasted very good this morning. :)
Won't do them any harm but it sounds a bit suspect that they went happily to bed without any supper. I'm also with Lee on this one, either they'd eaten before hand or smuggled food upto their rooms. We, of course, never did anything like that ......???
That's good parenting. It sounds like they missed out though. A generally healthy meal, and stuff from the garden. They don't know what they are missing (or maybe they do).
Phil, good luck. I unfortunately gave in and cooked (such as it was) something different for everyone, as my mother did before me. Still do. BTW, my kids would have passed on that meal too.
My kids won't eat that too.. they are more than happy to smuggle whatever junk food they can find in the kitchen and gobble it up behind my back. Tsk..
Don't you all eat Mac & Cheese? That's my favorite.
You've implemented what's referred to as the "division of responsibility." This states that you are responsible for providing food, your child is responsible for eating, and never the two shall cross. Disciplined limits such as the division of responsibility are too often bent by tired parents. Good work.
Although Im ashamed to say it, I'd would have snuck the kids out to McDonalds is the wife made that. But I am a very picky eater.
Luckily, the boys are not as picky as me. Their tastes vary from week to week, but they have at least always eaten their veggies.
Believe me, I won't be serving that combination again. Normally, my kids like broccoli and pasta and carrots and hot dogs and pineapple. Apparently just not in wrong combination.
Tonight we had a "Happier Meal"... I fixed their favorite, spaghetti with meat sauce. Green beans and garlic toast on the side. Plates were cleaned, faces were smiling, all was well. For now.
So when did you say I can come over for dinner again? Yummy 4 bean salad. I like that sound, are you e-mailing me the recipe plzzzz?
At least you know your kids are individual and strong willed and it will be very good to have once they are older, no one is gonna make them do/eat something is they don't want too.
Yeah, we don't do the "separate meals" for the kids, either. Sometimes they eat alot of what we make and sometimes not. My sister prepares her kids different meals for dinner and now all they will eat is mac and cheese and chicken fingers. Whoops!
Have you ever tried the, "If you just eat half the serve of everything, I will be happy" approach. Works for us sometimes... Except for broccoli!
I do that "just eat this much" quite a bit... We both end up winning the battle. My kids are usually both very good eaters -- even broccoli, which is a fave in our house. I don't mind if they pick and nibble. But this dinner the other night was different. They both looked at their plates and immediately announced they'd have none of it.
The last two nights, however, they've been very happy. First, with the spaghetti and then tonight with cheese pizza. Tomorrow we'll have a roast with lots of veggies. See how that goes.
Could I get that ketchup and pineapple sauce recipe from you? That sounds really good (and not terribly hard).
My kids never liked fish for dinner. One night I put a scoop of ice cream on their plates next to the fish. They sat there stunned and quickly ate the fish before the ice cream melted. I never told them to eat the fish first but somehow they knew is was the right thing to do. They are young adults now, we still laugh about that night... and yes now they eat fish.
I always told my kids they had to eat just one bite of what ever they were turning their noses up at. Just one bite. Most of the time they were surprised, that they liked it.
I also tried the deal of.....
"Wow, you like it so well last time, you ate two bowls of it". and believe it or not, it worked. Until they got to be 10 or 12.
When teens, I just told them that the resturant and I had a deal. I would not run a resturant in my house and they wouldn't have a Mom's meal at their place. Meaning one meal for all.
I never made my kids eat a dish they really did hate. I hated liver. My mother MADE me eat it. If I didn't finish it for dinner, then I got it for breakfast and etc until it was gone. To this day, I hate liver. That is another thing, I never made my kids eat something I wouldn't eat. They all ate, meat, veggies (lots of them) salads and are healthy adults now ... torturing their own children.
If my son really won't eat what I'm serving, I'll usually make him a peanut butter and banana sandwich. But he's two, too young to be choosing to go to bed hungry.
:-)
I wouldn't have eaten that either :)
Our oldest will eat nearly anything. Our middle child has a few things that he stubbornly refuses to eat, but generally he's pretty good about trying new things. Our third child, alas, is piiiicky and has a highly variable appetite-- sometimes he'll eat a plateful of something he's never tried before, and the next day he'll nibble and pick at a plate of his favorites.
I'm 100% with the folks who say that 1 family == 1 dinner. We don't do separate meals here, though a few times I've been tempted when we've had steak (after all, they're just as happy with hot dogs :)
When my boys were preschool age they were members of the 'one bite club'...yes this ment anything new on the plate had to be tasted with at least one bite. Usually this lead to other bites etc...now that they are 'tweens' we have a rule that if they do not like what is served for dinner (after taking at least one bite of anything new) they will have to make thier own PBJ. And that just gets old everynight...so for the most part they are good eaters. But I have to confess, not being consistent and at times making seperate meals for the kids did lead to a lot of stuggles later. The bean Salad sounds yummy!
I followed a link from a link from an link and got here to your blog . . . I am with the comment right before mine: I make a meal, adn if you don't like one aspect of it, you cna go in the kitchen and replace that part yourself. Don't like my main dish? Go get a meat group. Don't like my veggie? Go get some carrots. My daughter (8 years old) is the one who's stubbornly refusing to eat certain meats right now---like any beef, and most chicken. My son, 10 years, eats about everything now. It works for me!
I enjoyed perusing your blog!
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