My parents didn’t bother with the “you have to clean your plate” or “eat three more bites.” It was always just, “You’re not getting anything else until breakfast.” Looking back, I think that was a pretty good balance between the two eating-extreme philosophies I see for kids- one being practically force feeding the kid and the other allowing the child to pick and choose every meal including making different meals just for the kid because mom and dad are eating something he or she doesn’t want to eat. (I deliberately did not say that the child “doesn’t like” that meal, because sometimes the kid has never even had it, so doesn’t even know what it tastes like!)
I came up with a practically Foolproof way to handle this when I was taking care of my sister’s kids while she was at work: I’d fix dinner and, when I served their plates, I’d put just One Tablespoon of dinner on the picky eaters’ plates.
Their Greed instinct would kick in and they would demand to know why I wasn’t giving them “Enough” to eat.
I’d then inform them that there was plenty more in the pot on the stove and they could serve themselves as much or as little as they wanted.
The pot was usually Empty be the time we finished eating as were their Plates.
Both my Mother and my sister would empty the pot giving them full plates to start with and fight with them the whole meal to convince them to eat more than two or tree bites. I told them my solution several times, but they never did get around to trying it when it was their turn to cook.
Templo S.U.D. about 5 years ago
good try, el jovencito Baldo, for you didn’t even eat one bite of the food on your plate (unless you secretly had galletas beforehand)
jmworacle about 5 years ago
Next he’ll ask for desert….
HarryCK about 5 years ago
If it were a bowl of Frosted Sugar Bombs he would be starving.
WCraft Premium Member about 5 years ago
According to my grandfather (RIP), the full button was located on the stomach.
Kit'n'Kaboodle about 5 years ago
My parents didn’t bother with the “you have to clean your plate” or “eat three more bites.” It was always just, “You’re not getting anything else until breakfast.” Looking back, I think that was a pretty good balance between the two eating-extreme philosophies I see for kids- one being practically force feeding the kid and the other allowing the child to pick and choose every meal including making different meals just for the kid because mom and dad are eating something he or she doesn’t want to eat. (I deliberately did not say that the child “doesn’t like” that meal, because sometimes the kid has never even had it, so doesn’t even know what it tastes like!)
Brian Premium Member about 5 years ago
Some have reported good results from getting the child involved in meal planning and preparation.
magdala666 about 5 years ago
And another child is taught not to listen to his own body.
CalLadyQED about 5 years ago
This is how you get eating disorders. :(
bakana about 5 years ago
I came up with a practically Foolproof way to handle this when I was taking care of my sister’s kids while she was at work: I’d fix dinner and, when I served their plates, I’d put just One Tablespoon of dinner on the picky eaters’ plates.
Their Greed instinct would kick in and they would demand to know why I wasn’t giving them “Enough” to eat.
I’d then inform them that there was plenty more in the pot on the stove and they could serve themselves as much or as little as they wanted.
The pot was usually Empty be the time we finished eating as were their Plates.
Both my Mother and my sister would empty the pot giving them full plates to start with and fight with them the whole meal to convince them to eat more than two or tree bites. I told them my solution several times, but they never did get around to trying it when it was their turn to cook.