Picky Eaters

Dear Mom and Dad,

I apologize for every time I complained about what you made for dinner.  And for every time I said "yuck" when you placed my plate in front of me.  And for refusing to eat the meal you prepared for me.

Love,

Me

Karma stinks.  I know I was a picky eater when I was growing up and I'm sure my parents hated it!  I've heard my little ones complain about what I made for dinner many, many times and now I know exactly what my parents went through!

As I've gotten older I've tried more and more foods and love them. I can't help but think that maybe if I had just tried more when I was younger, I would have developed a palate for many more things.

Toddlers are picky eaters.  I know few toddlers who aren't and I think it's pretty normal.  I accept that I will have to deal with the pickiness.  What's even more challenging with my three kids, is they all have different palates.

I decided many years ago that I was not a short order cook.  I meal plan every week and what I make for dinner is what you eat.  The only exception is on left over night, when the kids can decide to eat left overs or choose something else, (usually PB and J or grilled cheese).  I always make sure that each child likes one component of the meal, whether it is the main dish, the vegetable or another side.

I have many go to recipes, some all my kids love, others one or two like, and a few that none of them care for, but Justin and I really like.  I also try new recipes all the time, listening to feed back from the family to determine if they are keepers or not.

There are some days my kids eat great and other days that are hit and miss. One week they may love something and hate it the next week.  They do understand that if they don't eat much for dinner and are hungry later, they will eat their dinner.  Some may think this is harsh but honestly it's helped my kids be a little more adventurous with trying different things, and many times once they do try something, they realize they actually like it.  We don't force food down their throats or make them finish their plates.  However, the words I can't stand hearing 15 minutes after the kids leave the table and Justin and I are finally finishing up the dishes are:  "I'm hungry!"

It helps that my kids are exposed to a lot of different foods at school.  They have all been great eaters at school.  It used to drive me nuts that A loved the broccoli that Chef Carlos made at school but she didn't like mine!  I secretly wanted to pull Carlos aside and ask him his secret to making broccoli my child would eat!  (Ironically a couple weeks ago I steamed broccoli and not one of my children wanted to try it-L used to be my "little tree" eater!  They all agreed to finally try it and they LOVED it!).

I love trying new foods and recipes and hope my little ones will continue to be excited about trying something new.  Most importantly, if I can incorporate them into helping me make meals, they are even more likely to try something they had a hand in making.  Hopefully their palates will continue to expand as they get older!