Make One Meal For Dinner

by James Wieselman Schulman

Do you let your kids stay up all night?

Do you let them watch R- or X-rated movies?

Do you let them surf the web without some oversight?

I didn’t think so. I don’t either. Then why do we let them dictate what they or the family eats? We, as parents, have the obligation to feed our kids a healthy and nutritious diet, one that doesn’t solely center around pizza, french fries, and ketchup.

I recently read yet another article about ways of dealing with the now ubiquitous picky eater and was saddened by the notion that many parents have given up on such an important part of our children’s’ development. Yes, development!

Some kids will be naturally less adventurous than others, and not everyone has a wide-ranging palate, but we can encourage our kids to grow socially and experientially by encouraging them to have an open mind (and mouth) when it comes to food.

Our son, is and has always been, an adventurous eater. Currently, his favorite thing is sashimi, and he can really pack it away! Our daughter on the other hand, likes to demonstrate her independence by an unwillingness to try things, even things we know she likes.

So how does a foodie handle this? Well, it’s pretty simple really. I make one meal for the entire family and if she doesn’t like / want what we’re having, she can choose not to eat.

My wife doesn’t like for her to not eat much, but nothing really happens if she misses dinner once in a while (yep, I checked with our pediatrician).  And it lets her see that we all eat the same meals, together. Parents are not short order cooks; we should not make something else “for the kids” if they don’t like what’s on the menu. And, big surprise, there is no dessert if there’s no dinner.

I’m not saying kids should never get any choice in the matter; actually, I feel they should be thoroughly involved in the whole process. As parents, we should create a certain atmosphere at the table and can encourage openness through food.

We almost always have several things on the table, so there is a variety to choose from. And most import, to being open, no one at the table is EVER allowed to say “I don’t like that” before trying it. And we really encourage everyone to try everything on the table. And yes, I mess a dish up sometimes and even I don’t like it, but I try it nonetheless.

For more from James, check out his own blog at: www.jamesschulman.blogspot.com and find his other Chef Daddy posts at www.BlackBerryMom.com