Alternatives

[lillibet]

I'm curious what other parents think of this post. Our solution has been that Alice doesn't have to eat what she doesn't like at dinner and then she has a before-bed snack of yogurt mixed with oatmeal and fruit, so she won't go to bed hungry, which drastically affects the ease of bedtime. And, mostly Alice will find something on her dinner plate to eat if she's hungry and if it's not a hungry day, very little is acceptable. And she does eat so many things that it hasn't been a big deal. But forewarned is half the octopus, so I think about strategies.

I understand the theory behind what these folks are trying, but in the family I know who did this, the alternative was for the kids to nuke themselves a hot dog and the outcome was two teenagers who really didn't eat anything but hotdogs.

Comments

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

Thinking about hot dogs and kids, I suspect that particular offer fails the like-not-love requirement. It's also not bland or plain and does involve cooking, so it doesn't really seem to be an good example of the strategy as outlined. I suspect if those kids had been offered cottage cheese instead, things might have turned out differently.

(Though as a side note, if the teens grew up healthy anyway, I suppose one could ask if it was really much of a problem.)

[lillibet.livejournal.com]

Well, as joyeous notes, it can produce hurt by other cooks. It also makes going out to eat more difficult--I wouldn't want to only go to restaurants that serve hot dogs (although that reminds me of a funny story about a FOAF with MPD).

Mostly, though, I guess I have the sense that teaching children to appreciate a wide variety of food is a worthy goal--I might even say "a parental responsibility" but I think that's possibly too skewed by my own priorities. I'd be unhappy not to be able to share good food with her and to have her appreciate the food I cook. Having her take a bite of something new I've made and say "Mommy, this is delicious!" is one of the many joys of parenting for me.

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

FWIW, I'm agree with you, but I can see how some people would think it's fine.

I remember going to fancy restaurants as a kid and usually ordering a hamburger, which they'd always make. I had some seriously good burgers. :) (Personally, I'd tell a teenager they could eat something the place serves or not eat at all, and I'd be surprised if that attitude changes when I have a teen myself.)