By food pits, I’m referring to my dear children who consume large amounts of food on a daily basis.
They don’t always consume large amounts. If they don’t like the taste so much, you end up with a ton of leftovers that they aren’t thrilled about re-heating the next day. which means the adults re-heat it, force the the kids to eat it or I feel guilty and end up tossing it because I can’t finish all of it, or I didn’t want it either. But if they do like it? It disappears like a steak in front of a starving coon hound!
Food is really important to my kids. They are at home all day and three times a day they come to the kitchen to refill their tanks. I try and make things they like to eat, but sometimes I need to try new things and they need to learn to eat what they are just sure won’t taste good!
I just love it how when we are kids, we hear an ingredient is being added to something mom is making that we have dubbed, “not ok”. Like broccoli, tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, mayo, or some other weird rabbit food thing mom is always trying to sneak in on us. As soon as we know, that “thing” is being put into the pot, thats it! We don’t like what she is making! And boy, do we dread the next meal time.
My boys just pulled one of these little shenanigans on me just today when I wanted to make a pumpkin bread. I said, ” Kids, which of you would like to try this pumpkin bread”? I got takers from the girls, and the boys? ” Oh no mom!” “We don’t like pumpkin at all!” And on it went… Then the bread was baking and it smelled pretty yummy! It came out of the oven, and guess who wanted some? Yep, the boys. “I’m sorry mom, for turning my nose up at something before I tried it”… If we go thru this rigamarole, I will force them to apologize if they do not offer it themselves. Sawyer was tripping over himself with apologies. as he was wolfing it down.
I remember when I was a kid. I was Powerless at meal time. If my mom started making dinner in the early afternoon, and it was stew, or salmon, I was depressed the rest of the day. Seriously, I could not be in the house and not be thinking about it. I also home schooled. And us kids did not get the option of choosing something else to eat, or even leaving our plates with food on them. If we got dished up food, we were expected to eat it. I loved food! However, there were some things I did not care for, and those two things, were probably the worst things that could be on the dinner table.
I remember my little sweets, mom has not forgotten the dinner table moments of distaste. But, that doesn’t mean my children should get away with vocalizing complaint to the point of ridiculousness. I have been known to take their plate away and they will get nothing. However, if they are willing to have good attitudes about the food in question, I am willing to work with them, helping them shovel it in and not always forcing them to clean their plates. (Its not healthy to stuff yourself anyways, I use to do have to stuff myself to get to the dessert. It made me fat.) I know my kids. I know how much they can eat and have adapted how I was taught to help them eat new things. I’m not sure whats harder, being the parent in this situation, or being the kid who has to open his hatch for something he doesn’t want. Nope, I wouldn’t ever want to be a kid again. I’m going to go with, its harder being the kid here.
I like to make things like the pumpkin bread because it teaches them that they really can like it and they don’t need to talk food down before they have ever tried it. “Hmm, maybe I can trust mom when she says it will taste good?”
~Prudence
