Parenting

Saturday, July 19, 2008

Food Fight.

There are a lot of things that stress me out every day: getting my kids to school on time, managing the onslaught of daily errands and phone calls, finishing the next chapter of the book I’m writing, thinking about how we are ever going to be able to afford to put two kids through college, let alone ever retire.  But the stress that I feel about these things does not even begin to compare to the stress that I feel about what to serve my children for dinner each and every night.   

 

I loathe dinner time.  Breakfast is relatively easy, lunch I can handle, but dinner is the bane of my existence.  It’s not just that I don’t like to cook, or that I don’t really have time to cook.  Though both of these things are true, they’re not insurmountable.  No, what makes dinner so unpleasant for me is the nightly battle that I have with my daughter over what, and how much, she must eat.  It generally goes something like this:  she asks me what’s for dinner, and I tell her.  If my answer does not include macaroni and cheese, cheese quesadilla, plain pasta or chicken tenders, her answer is always aww-uh.   And then the negotiations begin.  How many bites do I have to eat?  Will you give me something else if I don’t like it?  Can I have dessert?  Most nights, she ends up hungry, and in tears, and I end up furious and ready to strangle her.  Well, this week, I decided to end it.  Not only do I fear that I am laying the groundwork for a future eating disorder, but I also just can’t take it anymore.   Read More.


Risa Green is a critically acclaimed author who lives in Los Angeles. In the last four years, she has produced two children, called Harper and Davis, and two novels, called Notes from the Underbelly and Tales from the Crib. She is currently working on a third (novel not child). Risa writes the popular Tales from the Mommy Track column for Mommy Track'd.
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Comments 1-5 of 5
  • Cher's Avatar
    Posted by Cher Thu May 15, 2008 9:31pm PDT

    my son was in kindergarten when he got into his first food fight! Can you believe that?! A kindergartener getting into a food fight at his school!!! my son is one of 3 boys in his class of 14. It was bound to happen.

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  • Gypsyboy's Avatar
    Posted by Gypsyboy Fri May 16, 2008 12:15pm PDT

    That's funny. I ended up here via a diverted google search to get ideas for supper. I have a three year old and although she generally eats fairly well, she does have her moments. Suppertime is the worst. It's difficult to not just give in and make something she will eat, but we are trying to teach her that the world does not revolve around her desires. Of course we love her very much and would never deprive her of anything she needs, but a little bit of that "tough love" goes a long way I think.

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  • B M's Avatar
    Posted by B M Sat May 17, 2008 11:49pm PDT

    I applaude your efforts to find an alternative way in dealing with your child and food. I think you're on the right track.

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  • Inga's Avatar
    Posted by Inga Mon May 19, 2008 10:53am PDT

    One night a week my daughter gets say in what we eat. When she tells us of what she likes a school we usually add it to our menu and make it some time. At every meal she picks one food that she wants to add to the meal. Usually it’s pasta to go with the chicken we’re cooking or corn as a side. That way she knows that there will at least be one thing that she’ll like for dinner. We then encourage her to try the other food on her plate. If she doesn’t eat it then it’s not a big deal since we know she’s eat something during dinner. Desert is something of a rarity at our house, mostly fruits and veggies after dinner, so we really don’t tell her she has to eat her dinner to get desert. This method seems to be working of us since we’ve added a few new things to our menu and it’s no longer a fight to get her to eat her food.

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  • pauline4683's Avatar
    Posted by pauline4683 Mon May 19, 2008 12:16pm PDT

    If you find something that works let me know! My 3.5 is always making a thousand excuses at dinner: I need help, I need a napkin, I dont like this plate/spoon/cup, I dont like this, blah, blah! I've resorted to warning her she will be left alone at the table until she is done and when that gets too long, I yell and slap the table (a little scare tactic I am not proud of but works 85% of the time). Then she cries, she eats, I tell her "good girl, I love you, tomorrow you promise to eat?" she says yes, and its back to the beginning.

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