s/o If they won't eat...

[Night Elf]

I've seen many threads on this board about being upset that children won't eat certain foods. So my question is this: Do you yourself eat foods you don't like?

 

My DH is the cook. We *never* buy foods we don't like, although some food we eat is not liked by the kids. In that case, we make sure there is something they would like. Is there really something wrong with me that I wouldn't eat something I don't like and that I would be livid if someone stood over me and berated and punish me for not eating it?

[elegantlion]

I don't eat food I don't like. I don't make ds eat foods he doesn't like, even when he was little. I'm a picky eater, always have been. I also have some food allergies/sensitivities, so I'm usually modifying the dinner meal anyway.

 

Ds is old enough now and we have a routine, but if he doesn't like what is served he fixes himself something else.

 

I grew up having to eat what was served, some of it was just gross. I refuse to make our meal time a battlefield like it was when I was a kid. We get so little time together now, so dinner needs to be peaceful.

 

Ds also helps with nearly every dinner, so he is learning to cook. I hope he'll be the man helping his wife with dinner or making it by himself every once in a while.

[Element]

Absolutely! It can take 15 tries before you like a new food, so I make myself try new things repeatedly until I like them (eggplant) or give up (quinoa or pretty much any meat.) In the past couple of years, I have taught myself to like cilantro, chickpeas, eggplant, pine nuts, sushi, avocado, dill, feta cheese, and probably a few other things I can't recall right now. I am currently trying rosemary for the tenth or so time- I don't know if that's ever going to happen- ugh! :) I grew up on mac n' cheese, ranch dressing and instant mashed potatoes. I would have been in serious health trouble if I didn't teach myself to like new things.

 

Now I love almost every food on the list I mentioned above. If I would have only tried them one or two times, I wouldn't have discovered some of my new favorites!

Edited December 10, 2011 by Element

[Lily_Grace]

We have a one bite rule in our house, for EVERYONE. It is well known in my family that I don't like peas or squash. The rest of them do, so when they come up on the menu I take my one bite and leave the rest. We've started a running tally, since they say it takes trying something up to 20 times to decide if you like it or not. :lol: I'm pretty sure I'm at about 200000 times for peas. Yep. Still don't like 'em.

[georgialee]

Nope, I don't make the kids eat something they don't like... but I don't *only* make things I'm positive they like either. If they don't eat all their dinner b/c of not liking it I just make sure they have some fruit before they grab a granola bar, etc.

 

I still remember being forced to eat that nasty frozen mixed veggie mix with lima beans when I was younger. Blech.

 

eta: my kids aren't particularly picky though, either. They'll eat most everything I make.

[Paige]

I do not make foods I really don't like. I will occasionally make things I dislike but can tolerate that other people in my home like. I take a courtesy portion for the kids' benefit. If I am served something I dislike in someone's home, I will eat a respectable amount of it. I am not allergic to anything.

[momma aimee]

nope

 

I try really hard with my kids re: eating. I have a very very very self limiting food senestive food issue kid.

 

as adult you do not have to 'eat what is put in front of you' nor 'eat this or be hungery' (save maybe at a comany dinner or a wedding reception).

 

so why do people feel free to do such to their kids? :confused:

 

I DO tell them the need to try foods before they do not like them, but i give a lot of leevay in that 'trying' and if it causes stress i say "next time, ok" -- there is NO GOOD to come from linking anxiety / stress and food. and really, i mean really does it matter if they try the green beans or not??????????????? really?????

 

I expect my children to be polite, but i do not expect them to eat any food because it is "served".

 

Now I admit i eat some food i do not love because they are good for me; and I talk about that with the kids too -- and we talk about body self care and our bodied needing things (vit A, protine) but we talk about how you can usally find a way to get it that you like or are at least OK with. we talk about likeing, being ok with, dislikeing and really disliking food choices --

 

but no i do not expect my children to consume anything they really do not like save doctor issued medication.

 

I do not see the point of putting expectations on a child that do not apply to real life -- unless they are for the child safty (car seat) or because the child to immatue to have a good say in it (bed time, school choices)

[Heather in Neverland]

No one in this family is allowed to say they don't like something unless they have actually tried it. Then if they really hate it they don't have to eat it. Luckily, there are no picky eaters in this family. My kids and dh will eat anything that doesn't eat them first! Comes in handy when you live in a country where you can't pronounce the name of the food you are eating and aren't really even sure what it is. :D

[Laura Corin]

My boys eat a range of foods, as do DH and I. There are some things that each of us prefers not to eat. We all try those things periodically in order to make sure our tastes haven't changed, but we aren't forced to eat a large amount of it.

 

If our children's list of likes was smaller, I might feel differently, however.

 

Laura

[joannqn]

Absolutely! It can take 15 tries before you like a new food, so I make myself try new things repeatedly until I like them (eggplant) or give up (quinoa or pretty much any meat.) In the past couple of years, I have taught myself to like cilantro, chickpeas, eggplant, pine nuts, sushi, avocado, dill, feta cheese, and probably a few other things I can't recall right now. I am currently trying rosemary for the tenth or so time- I don't know if that's ever going to happen- ugh! :) I grew up on mac n' cheese, ranch dressing and instant mashed potatoes. I would have been in serious health trouble if I didn't teach myself to like new things.

 

Now, I love almost every food on the list I mentioned above. If I would have only tried them one or two times, I wouldn't have discovered some of my new favorites!

 

:iagree:

 

 

Only my success rate isn't as good. But I do eat things I didn't used to eat. I even ate and almost liked sweet potatoes this Thanksgiving. I also eat a lot more vegetables than I used to.

 

I generally don't cook things I know they really hate or is really off the wall for us. For things they don't care for, I'll make them and serve a small portion. By small, I mean a tablespoon of peas. I occasionally cook things I don't care for because DH likes them, and I'll eat it too.

 

I don't cook separate meals, with one exception: I won't cook steak for the boys because it is too expensive and too rare a treat to waste.

[LibraryLover]

I do not do food fights. I make sure there is something I know a picky child likes, and it's fine with me if they make a cheese sandwich instead (but not chicken nuggets). I do encourage a small taste. "I know you didn't used to like this, but maybe now that you are older, you might. " I don't see the point in forcing it. I have one who loved salad, but could not stand the smell of vinegar or lemon. I just put the greens on her plate with no dressing. She ate them up. She also liked raw carrots, but not cooked ones, so I made sure to put raw carrot sticks on her plate. No big deal.

 

None of my kids are picky now. They love all kinds of food and all kinds of restaurants, especially Korean, Indian, Thai, and Mexican (spice connection, I guess lol). i also can't keep them in fruit. Several pounds of bananas, apples, clemetines and kiwis have dissapeared this week. My 17 yr old cooks dinner weekly for all of us, and he sautees veggies very well; even slices and dices onions & garlic.

 

Apple Crumble is dessert, and we don't usually have dessert, so that would not be a hill I'd die on.

 

I can't complain about my method, as my kids, 12-22, are not picky, although all went through picky phases. I think we spend too much time worrying about things that are not important enough to worry about. Just keep offerring, encouraging. Meals shouldn't be a battleground. I don't like to waste food, and children have very small stomachs. You can't make a kid with sensory issues not have them, but they very often outgrow them. Pushing doesn't help. Taste buds change and mature.

Edited December 10, 2011 by LibraryLover

[gingersmom]

I've seen many threads on this board about being upset that children won't eat certain foods. So my question is this: Do you yourself eat foods you don't like?

 

My DH is the cook. We *never* buy foods we don't like, although some food we eat is not liked by the kids. In that case, we make sure there is something they would like. Is there really something wrong with me that I wouldn't eat something I don't like and that I would be livid if someone stood over me and berated and punish me for not eating it?

 

:iagree:

 

My mother forced us to eat all kinds of food we did not like.40 years later and I still don't like the foods I was forced to eat.

 

I have no issue with cooking a separate meal for my kids.

 

Just because I like yogurt or rice, etc does not mean the rest of the family does.

[QueenCat]

I've seen many threads on this board about being upset that children won't eat certain foods. So my question is this: Do you yourself eat foods you don't like?

 

My DH is the cook. We *never* buy foods we don't like, although some food we eat is not liked by the kids. In that case, we make sure there is something they would like. Is there really something wrong with me that I wouldn't eat something I don't like and that I would be livid if someone stood over me and berated and punish me for not eating it?

 

Nothing wrong with that. I don't eat what I don't like either.... although, I can usually manage to do so if I'm a guest somewhere but then I only eat enough of something to be polite. When my kids were young, we made the mistake of requiring them to eat all of what I served. Huge mistake on our part. We changed it to "try one bite to see, if you don't like it, fine". It was rare a meal had more than one new thing on the plate, so there was plenty they did like. And if they didn't, they could make a sandwich or bowl of cereal. We did require they still stay at the table with us. We did not want their memories of family meal time to be unpleasant, but good, of quality time together.

[Alte Veste Academy]

No, I don't eat food I don't like and don't expect my kids to either. I can't think of much I don't like though. Also, I have noticed that sometimes a kid can equate "don't like" with "not my favorite." That doesn't fly. You can't always have a favorite. The rule at our house is, "Eat what you like and leave what you don't" and we don't talk about it much. Sometimes someone won't touch their peas and another time they might ask for seconds. Whatever. I have bigger fish to fry. :lol:

 

Yes to whoever said it takes multiple offerings for people to like things. Most of the time, I still load the kids' plates for them and I always put a little of everything on there. They eat what they like and leave what they don't and we don't talk about it. I put asparagus on DD's plate many times before she liked it. Now she loves it and asks for more. I despised asparagus as a child. Thought it was :ack2:. It was because my mom overcooked it (and many other vegetables), which she now readily admits. My kids have tender/crisp veggies. They don't know how good they've got it. :lol:

 

We do not make food a big deal here and my kids have very healthy eating habits. They eat almost everything. I can't think of a single food that is regularly declined (although DD was put off ham for quite some time after an episode of Beakman where she saw maggots on a ham...can't blame her there). :tongue_smilie:

[LibraryLover]

Speaking of peas....lol. When I was a child I gagged on peas. They were disgusting & mushy. (And my mother was a very decent cook). Fast forward to fresh real peas in Thai or Indian food etc, and wow. Love them! And when I started growing my own, it seemed to me a different--and wonderful-- veggie.

 

Preparation makes a difference for a lot of us, and some of us have issues with bland or mushy textures. It's not that we want to be difficult. ;)

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

The kids are not allowed to say they don't like something unless they've actually tried it. I try new things all the time, and I served the kids new things occasionally. If they don't taste it, they are not allowed to comment on it at all. If they give it a real try and don't like it, they don't have to eat it. I encourage them to try things more than once though, and to be openminded about foods later on, because your tastes can change. I never liked cucumbers when I was young, but now I enjoy eating them.

[regentrude]

I've seen many threads on this board about being upset that children won't eat certain foods. So my question is this: Do you yourself eat foods you don't like?

 

 

I eat foods I dislike when I am eating at other people's houses and this is what they serve. I try to get away with eating as little as possible, but will be polite and not refuse the food.

If I cook for my family, I will cook foods they all like and I don't; I'll just eat the side dishes (I don't like any meat).

If I cook, I almost always have at least one thing for everybody.

[Alte Veste Academy]

Speaking of peas....lol. When I was a child I gagged on peas. They were disgusting & mushy. (And my mother was a very decent cook). Fast forward to fresh real peas in Thai or Indian food etc, and wow. Love them! And when I started growing my own, it seemed to me a different--and wonderful-- veggie.

 

Preparation makes a difference for a lot of us, and some of us have issues with bland or mushy textures. It's not that we want to be difficult. ;)

 

Yes to preparation. I grew up with and hated canned peas also. World of difference between canned and fresh. I even like frozen!

 

My mom used to make something packaged and sold as Japanese Vegetables that came in a nasty, slimy sauce. I still gag a bit when I think of those. She laughs every time I bring them up. I was also tortured with liver and onions. Gag. I HAD to eat to eat everything, every night, whether I liked it or not. Could not leave the table until I finished my plate every night. :nopity: I will not have it with my kids. Nope.

 

I eat foods I dislike when I am eating at other people's houses and this is what they serve. I try to get away with eating as little as possible, but will be polite and not refuse the food.

 

Yes. I have endured a great deal of really bad broccoli at DH's Granny's house. I like broccoli...raw, steamed, roasted, in a casserole...any which way but soggy. :ack2:

[gardenmom5]

I have a very picky eater (after two "normal" picky eaters) - his is sensory. (and as frustrating as he is, I have made "special" things for him, because he WON'T eat it if given a choice of eating it or starving. He'll starve. *skinny* jeans were big on him. as least my other picky eaters were willing to at least have a bite to taste it.)

I was a picky eater growing up (probably sensory) - eventually as an adult I ate foods that I only mildly objected to. some foods, it was only in certain forms I objected to them. Now, I don't eat food I object to - why should I? I'll eat something else.

[Alice]

I posted in the other thread too but I was a really picky eater as a child and am now a reformed picky eater. I think I eat fairly well but I'm married to a man who has only three foods he won't eat (mustard, raw tomatoes and bitter melon). And really the mustard and the tomatoes he will eat in things just not as a condiment on a sandwich or something.

 

I don't eat foods I don't like but I have become much better about trying new things. There are a lot of things I didn't think I liked until I married dh and now I love (feta, guacamole, salmon). I also have realized that a lot of foods I thought I didn't like because I had only had them cooked one way...spinach being a great example. I like it raw but not cooked. So I make an attempt to try new things. I won't try things that I know I don't like because I've tried them many many times (broccoli). Dh is Chinese-American and I also won't try some of the things at family dinners. For me, I am fairly adventurous but I have issues with trying things like meat that I don't know what it is.

 

Overall, I'd say my approach is similar to what I expect from my kids. I'm polite. I never expect someone to make me something different. I try new things most of the time.

[sbgrace]

I won't eat something I don't like. Well, in a social situation I have but routinely and in my home--no way. Maybe that's why I don't make things my kids dislike and insist they eat it. I've got one son like me and another like his daddy. Son like his daddy will eat anything offered and loves nearly everything he tries. Other son has been eating "two bites" of certain things for ages without developing tolerance for the disliked foods. Those two boys were raised exactly the same. I don't think I had a thing to do with their picky or lack of picky natures. My parents were very much sit there till it's gone and it didn't make me less picky. I spent lots of time sitting at a table and missing meals because I wouldn't eat x or y.

[Ellie]

No. But the reason I don't like them is that I tried them, or they're just not ok, like sushi or calamari. :D

[LaxMom]

Yes, I will absolutely eat something I don't like if it is served to me. I also make and eat things I don't like. Salmon, for instance. The kids enjoy salmon, so I'll serve it on occasion. The 10 year old doesn't care for asparagus (though she likes it more, recently) so that gets served less frequently than other vegetables, too.

 

I will eat Brussels sprouts in any way, but the kids have preferred preparation methods - sautéed or roasted - so we tend to prepare them that way, rather than a less preferred method.

 

I hated squash as a child, but learned to prepare squashes in ways I love as an adult.

 

Very few things are off the menu here.

[Ellie]

I eat foods I dislike when I am eating at other people's houses and this is what they serve. I try to get away with eating as little as possible, but will be polite and not refuse the food.

If I cook for my family, I will cook foods they all like and I don't; I'll just eat the side dishes (I don't like any meat).

If I cook, I almost always have at least one thing for everybody.

:iagree:

[Classical Country Mama]

Since I'm the cook, I usually don't have to make dishes I don't care for, but when we're at someone else's house, sure, of course I'll eat it even if it's wretched. Except for the time we were served half-raw chicken.

 

I must say, however, that I can't stand beef or pork or game, and I never buy it--but God, no doubt thinking it hilarious, keeps sending that kind of meat to us for free. The latest: my daughter caught a PIG at the county fair, for example, and starting February we are going to be eating ornery pig for a long time.

 

I've been assuming I'd just eat something else while they eat pork--but thanks to these threads I'm feeling sort of guilty. Does this mean I should eat the pork even though I hate it, to set an example for the kids, maybe? Or--I can be very grateful for the free meat without actually eating it, right?? Oh dear. This is one of those times Mommy Hypocrisy is allowed, surely??

[Tarreymere]

DH and I often eat things we do not like because that is what we can afford. If we had the money we would have good things to eat every day, but that is not our reality. So, yes, we DO expect everyone to eat what is offered to them with a grateful heart.

[Lily_Grace]

Yes to preparation. I grew up with and hated canned peas also. World of difference between canned and fresh. I even like frozen!

 

 

Yes! I hated cooked veggies growing up but didn't realize it was because they were prepared all wrong. They should NOT be cooked to mush! Dh has introduced me to some of my absolute favorite veggies now: green beans french cut, steamed, with toasted almonds mixed in; pea pods; stir fried anything; twice baked sweet potatoes; bok choy salad...I am so grateful to have married an amazing cook! He's opened my eyes to so many foods. :)

[tabrizia]

I don't eat foods I don't like. To be fair I can really only think of 3 or so foods I don't like so it is rarely an issue but still. Heck I will sometimes make my self something different for dinner, because I was fine with it when we decided on it, but after we made it I really didn't feel like eating it, it just isn't that big of a deal.

[Kirch]

Things that I know they really don't like, I don't make them eat. My youngest, though, is a bit picky and turns his nose up at many "normal" meals that no one else has any problems with. He can (and sometimes will) eat some of whatever it is without gagging or too much complaint, so most of the time his choice is to eat what is served or go hungry (usually there are enough side dishes that he'll eat that it's not really an issue). I don't make them eat things they truly hate, though. I have really, really bad memories of gagging over brussels sprouts . . . :ack2:

 

So no, I don't cook things that I don't like. That's part of the benefit of being the mom. ;) There's really not much I don't like, though, and I will eat things I'm not a fan of if they're served at someone else's house.

[Parrothead]

Of all the food available in the world there are only four things I won't eat: bugs, monkey brains, organ meat and squid/octopus.

 

So no, I do not cook those things. I would not expect dd to eat them either.

[In the Rain]

I wouldn't plan a meal I didn't like, but I would eat a meal I didn't like if it was already prepared. I try lots of new recipes and sometimes the things I make aren't that tasty to me once they are done. If it is a healthy meal, I'll just eat it and expect the kids to as well. The leftovers get packed up for dh's lunch because he'll happily eat anything homemade. :001_smile: If it is a gross dessert or rich side dish, we'll just toss it.

[peachskittles]

Do you yourself eat foods you don't like?

 

I eat more variety having kids. I actually kinda like broccoli, cauliflower made into a fake mashed potatoes is pretty good, sweet potatoes sliced into rounds and baked is edible, etc. Next year I want to *try* tomatoes. I hear fresh from the garden tomatoes are much better than tomatoes at the stores. I have had beets because my kids *love* them and I don't want them to eat them and I don't. I actually made a soup with sweet potatoes, carrots and pork stew meat, thickened with corn starch. As a kid, I would have never touched it but I ate it and it was good (even though I was skeptical but the children insisted it was good). And a salad with some spinach mixed in isn't horrible. Oh and squash, I eat squash. It isn't with me going "OMG, yea!!! Squash!!!". But it's edible and not gonna kill me. Yea my kids love squash. Where did I get these odd children that like vegetables and random fruits?

 

So, yes, I eat things I would rather not eat because of my children. I want to model a positive approach to food.

 

The only things I don't eat are organ meats...Weird sea creatures...Uh random forest creatures, like bugs, worms, etc...Ya know, the weird stuff...I don't eat it and I don't even want to know how to make it...:lol:

[Lizzie in Ma]

I've seen many threads on this board about being upset that children won't eat certain foods. So my question is this: Do you yourself eat foods you don't like?

 

My DH is the cook. We *never* buy foods we don't like, although some food we eat is not liked by the kids. In that case, we make sure there is something they would like. Is there really something wrong with me that I wouldn't eat something I don't like and that I would be livid if someone stood over me and berated and punish me for not eating it?

 

Youngest has sensory issues and there are some food she simply can not eat. I would NEVER make her. There are foods I know the kids would prefer not to eat but those I have no problem serving.

No, I don't eat things I don't like.

Off topic, right now, I would be happy to see them eat almost anything. Their meds for Lyme make them sick and/or cause a loss of appetite. The other day all the little one could/would eat was popcorn. At least she ate. They are both dropping weight like mad. sigh

[Lizzie in Ma]

Nope, I don't make the kids eat something they don't like... but I don't *only* make things I'm positive they like either. If they don't eat all their dinner b/c of not liking it I just make sure they have some fruit before they grab a granola bar, etc.

 

I still remember being forced to eat that nasty frozen mixed veggie mix with lima beans when I was younger. Blech.

 

eta: my kids aren't particularly picky though, either. They'll eat most everything I make.

 

Good gad, Lima beans? My Mom tried to make me eat the ones in Campbells soup til the day I caught her hiding one on her saucer. :D

[butterflymommy]

I am a very picky eater and would gladly near starve than eat foods I consider to be disgusting. I've been able to branch out in the fruit and veggie category since I try to eat mostly vegan, but remain picky. I would be livid if someone berated me and tried to force me to eat nasty foods.

 

I was bullied/ threatened/ cajoled into eating as a kid, with very little success. The ironic thing is I was and am thin, and my family was and is obese. Yet they were constantly trying to force me to eat! They even threatened to take me to the hospital to have me tube fed. :glare:

 

I was never dangerously thin-- just thin, and hated their beloved red meat and other gruesome dishes.

[Lizzie in Ma]

Speaking of peas....lol. When I was a child I gagged on peas. They were disgusting & mushy. (And my mother was a very decent cook). Fast forward to fresh real peas in Thai or Indian food etc, and wow. Love them! And when I started growing my own, it seemed to me a different--and wonderful-- veggie.

 

Preparation makes a difference for a lot of us, and some of us have issues with bland or mushy textures. It's not that we want to be difficult. ;)

 

My Mom always overcooked veggies to an unpalatable mash. Now I cook them barely hot and crispy and love lots of the ones I hated as a kid. I adore peas in all forms now too, lol.

[Alte Veste Academy]

Good gad, Lima beans? My Mom tried to make me eat the ones in Campbells soup til the day I caught her hiding one on her saucer. :D

 

OH MY GOSH!!! My mom put canned peas in tuna casserole my whole life growing up. I loved the tuna casserole but positively despised those peas. Now when I make tuna casserole, I serve frozen peas on the side (which everyone likes). I once served this meal when my mom was visiting and she didn't eat her peas, so I was naturally :001_huh: because I was forced to clean my plate throughout my entire childhood and hello!, peas with tuna casserole was what I grew up with. When I said something about her peas (because I was surprised, not griping), she said, "Oh, I don't like peas. Never have." I'm sorry but WHAT?!?! She knew my sister and I hated those peas in tuna casserole. We picked them out, ate the casserole, then miserably held our noses and gagged them down after because we had no choice. "What do you MEAN you don't like peas, Mom?! Why would you make us eat them all those years?!" "Because that's how my mom made tuna casserole."

 

I need therapy. :lol:

 

I do like lima beans though. :leaving:

[Daisy]

I've seen many threads on this board about being upset that children won't eat certain foods. So my question is this: Do you yourself eat foods you don't like?

 

My DH is the cook. We *never* buy foods we don't like, although some food we eat is not liked by the kids. In that case, we make sure there is something they would like. Is there really something wrong with me that I wouldn't eat something I don't like and that I would be livid if someone stood over me and berated and punish me for not eating it?

 

Sure. It's just food. It won't kill me and it won't kill them.

[The Girls' Mom]

I don't make them sit and eat every bite of whatever disliked thing it is, but they do have to try a bite...every time I serve it. They have changed their minds about MANY foods this way. Also, if I didn't require it, nary a vegetable would pass the lips of my oldest dd. She has said repeatedly that if it were her choice she'd eat meat and pasta for nearly every meal.

 

ETA: I forgot to answer the main question...Yes, I do make myself occasionally eat things I don't think I'll like. But I'll eat practically anything that isn't an insect or an internal organ...lol.

Edited December 10, 2011 by Apryl H

[KungFuPanda]

I pretty much like everything but liver and brussel sprouts, so you'd be hard pressed to find a dish that doesn't make me happy. I can't hack coffee, beer, eel, or stevia because they all taste extremely bitter to me. I think there's just something up with me, though. I don't think these foods taste this way to other people.

[SKL]

I'll try new things up to a point, usually from a restaurant, deli, or someone else's house. If it is gross tasting, I will not finish it. But I will be as polite as I can about it.

 

I have a daughter who has a hard time eating certain foods. Her ability to tolerate changes as she gets older. So periodically, I do insist that she try a little bit even if it's something she hasn't liked before. She lets me know how big a sacrifice this is for her, LOL.

 

I am particular about not wasting food, if at all avoidable. So if it's something none of us really like, I will not buy it. But if I buy it, I will eat it even if it's not something I like. Take lima beans. I think they are disgusting, but they are included in a very nice frozen vegetable mix that I buy. So I eat them when we have that mix. But I remove them from one daughter's plate (her sister will happily eat a double share). I can handle something I dislike better than my kids can.

 

When I was a kid, we had to clear our plates. My dad taught us to hold our noses while chewing if we didn't like the taste of something (only at home, of course). I'm not recommending this to you all, just saying how I was brought up to eat food I did not like. I did not develop any eating disorders, if anyone is wondering.

[Pretty in Pink]

Sure, I'll have a few bites of something that I do not like. I don't cook things that I don't care for. We also have a one bite rule and I don't think that is unreasonable. I don't force my kids to eat foods that they don't like, either. They must try a bit before saying they don't like it. That's all. I always serve at least one thing that everyone likes so it's not an issue. Try a bite and then just eat the other stuff that you do like. No big deal.

 

What I won't tolerate is a child acting like a fool because they don't want what I served that night. You eat tacos. You like tacos. I made tacos. You eat tacos tonight or not, your choice, but do not throw a tantrum because tacos weren't what you wanted on this particular night. I expect polite manners from those old enough to know better.

 

I don't punish or get my feathers ruffled if someone doesn't eat. It's not a big deal.

[Splinter]

My two oldest are picky eaters, while the younger boys (and I) will eat anything. I buy things that I think everyone will like, but if they don't, they're free to make themselves something else.

[amy g.]

I'm with the original poster. I wouldn't eat something I didn't like. I don't expect anyone else to either.

 

I tell my kids to "listen to your body. Eat when you are hungry. Stop when you are full."

 

We do not have any eating or weight issues......if you don't include my middle age spread.

[whiskeywife]

I don't make them eat anything they don't like. I do encourage them to at least try something once. When I was a kid, my parents made me sit at the table until I would finish the food in my plate. It was usually meat that I didn't like. To this day I am a vegetarian. I've never liked meat. After my childhood experience I vowed to never do that to my kids.

[Angel]

I've seen many threads on this board about being upset that children won't eat certain foods. So my question is this: Do you yourself eat foods you don't like?

 

My DH is the cook. We *never* buy foods we don't like, although some food we eat is not liked by the kids. In that case, we make sure there is something they would like. Is there really something wrong with me that I wouldn't eat something I don't like and that I would be livid if someone stood over me and berated and punish me for not eating it?

 

I can't even read those threads anymore. It's ridiculous! I didn't read this one either. :tongue_smilie:

 

I do not eat foods I don't like. I do not make my dd with sensory issues eat foods she doesn't like. I do not make my dd with no issues eat foods she doesn't like.

 

If there is something that we think the kids will like, we encourage them to try it, but for heaven's sake we don't force them. We try at every meal to have something for sensory sensitive dd, even if it is just bread and salad. Is it harder for me or dh when we cook? Yes! Is it a courtesy our dd(s) will always remember and be thankful for? 100%

 

I am 39. I can think of three items that I like now that I didn't like before. Sour cream, Guacamole, and sometimes tomatoes. I will try new things but I reserve the right to wrinkle my nose if it's gross :D There are two items I try every year because I want to like them but I just can't and think that maybe my tastes will change...yogurt and cherry tomatoes. Tried the tomatoes again this summer, fresh out of a garden, had to spit it out.

 

I teach my children to be as polite as they can about not liking something or in refusing something. They are never to be rude but they don't have to eat it.

 

Ok. Rant over. :lol: Glad there are people who think like me!

[happypamama]

I don't eat things I don't like, unless there's really not a choice. I am not a terribly picky eater, though, and I'm generally willing to try most flavors or new foods. If we were at someone else's house, and they served something I really didn't like, I'd try to eat the other items and skip the thing I don't like, or eat just a bit of it.

 

At home, everyone has a couple of things that they don't like, so you're not made to eat them. I'll eat cauliflower, even though I don't really like it, if that's the veggie I've decided goes well with the meal (and DH likes cauliflower). Otoh, if we're having a roast or stew, and carrots are a part of that, DH will eat few or none of them (he hates carrots), and it's no big deal. I don't mind when DS1 skips the peas; everyone else likes them fine, and he'll eat plenty of broccoli or brussels sprouts at another meal. None of my children are very picky at all though, and there's usually one thing they like a lot. However, for financial reasons, if you don't eat the veggie, you're also not allowed to have more than your share of the meat/protein. (Not usually an issue; they generally like the veggies but are sometimes pickier about spices or whatnot in the main dish.)

 

I don't make separate meals for anyone, except that occasionally I'll serve extra veggies; the kids don't really like asparagus, but DH and I do, so I'll serve that plus broccoli or something.

[Audrey]

I've seen many threads on this board about being upset that children won't eat certain foods. So my question is this: Do you yourself eat foods you don't like?

 

My DH is the cook. We *never* buy foods we don't like, although some food we eat is not liked by the kids. In that case, we make sure there is something they would like. Is there really something wrong with me that I wouldn't eat something I don't like and that I would be livid if someone stood over me and berated and punish me for not eating it?

 

 

Yes, I do. There are some things I simply won't eat, period. Yet, I do eat many foods that I don't particularly like. For example, chicken is frequently on the menu and I eat it, but I don't like chicken. I never, ever eat seafood under any circumstances (long story why), but I will buy it and suggest they eat it when I know I won't be home for supper.

 

My meal philosophy is that everyone is entitled to dislike some foods, but that doesn't mean they won't show up on the table. I won't cater to picky eaters, but I also won't make my kid eat the lima beans. I'll make enough other foods that a balanced meal can be had. I'll still serve the lima beans (because I love them), though.

[KidsHappen]

Not only do I not eat what I don't like, I don't eat when I am not hungry or not in the mood for certain foods. I am naturally very thin although my dr. has recently change my meds to one that increases my appetite much to my dismay and my family's delite. I tell you there is nothing worse that people still trying to direct your eating when you are darn near 50 years old. I am polite but I am also comfortable saying, "Sorry, Ia m really not hungry right now or I don't really care for such in such. I will make do with _______ (whatever else is available). I don't expect anymore from my children and they frequently have to deal with this because they are vegetarians and it is still not terribly common.

[Barb_]

I don't make anyone eat something she can't tolerate. If it makes you gag, then skip it. I'm okay with that. I can't eat brussels sprouts or bread pudding--literally can't swallow without gagging-- so neither of those things come up on the menu. I do have a problem with, "I don't like it," when it means "I don't find it to be the yummiest thing I've ever eaten and therefore I want you to make me a grilled cheese." So we use the word tolerate a lot. You may not love it, but if you can swallow it down, it's dinner.