kids and fighting about food at dinner...

[Robin]

My son is not quite 5 years old yet and he recently decided that he will no longer eat animals (unless they are in fast food form.... fucking figures). We eat a lot of meat here, mostly beef and chicken. Normally I would just say "fuck it, eat what I put on the table" but he straight up refuses to eat meat that looks like meat now and I am tired of fighting it. Roast Beef, Kielbasa Sausage, Chicken Breasts.... He will not go for it, major power struggles every night with this....

Would you guys try to make special meals while cooking your regular meal, or just try to make him eat whatever was being cooked until he finally decides to eat real food again?


I used to be a "ahhh do whatever the hell you wanna do" kinda mom, but his ass needs to eat some food for sure. Trying to find ways to make this happen...


I figured someone here may have a creative idea.

[Robin]

sorry, been reading a lot of stuff on parenting from an anarchist perspective, and i am at a total loss how to handle this random "refusing to eat meat that looks real" deal..................

[Sam Gunn (since nobody got Admiral Naismith)]

I'd just keep cooking the same food and let him be a little hungrier.  Don't make him special meals.  And don't let him fill up on worthless carbs and starch junk foods either, so if you have those in your pantry, hide them.

I wonder where he got the idea to stop eating meat at age 5.

Good luck.

PS: I'm not a parent, but I'm just suggesting what I would do.  Personally if I don't eat meat for 1 day I feel famished and starved even if I have eaten tons of other non-meat products to compensate.

[Robin]

I do beleive that was some good advice, thanks.



I think he was upset that my landlords roasted a rabbit for their "Easter brunch" and got weird about it since we have cages of them in the front of the house... I swear this kid is more determined and hard headed than anyone in the family. He did not really get upset when I made a meatloaf out of the cow though... odd.

[anarchir]

I've heard if the kid only wants to eat one thing (like mac'n cheese) let them until they get tired of it on their own. If they refuse to eat out of stubbornness you're supposed to keep serving it anyhow.

But I have no children nor the knowledge to say if this is good advice.

[Robin]

it's weird that this is new for me.... my older kids will and have always just eaten anything.

[blackie]

Give him fruits and vegetables.

[blackie]

PB&J is also quick and easy.

[sandm000]

While the suggestions for getting the right amount of protein are great for vegans and vegetarians, this is about how to get the kid to behave in the house.
In my house if you don't like your dinner, you don't have to eat it, and I don't have to cook a new one for you. But it is your house and your rules, so you do what feels best for you, until that 5 year old starts bringing in enough money to feed himself, he's living off your largesse, so what you say goes.

[gibson042]

I can relate to the anarchist parenting frustrations, if not to this particular issue. If he were my child, I'd try really hard to help him explain the reasons for this new behavior. Is he disgusted by the memory of the rabbit? Is he committed to vegetarianism? Would he still want chicken nuggets (e.g.) if you placed them beside chicken breasts and explained their identical composition?

If he were steadfast in the decision, I would not force meat upon him. The rest of us would continue eating the same food, and he would have pared down versions. My cooking would not change by much, but I would certainly listen to any meal ideas he might have.

[Robin]

thanks for the food suggestions, if it were to boil down to it and he is really just into this whole veggie thing, i can cook vegan/veggie foods with no problems... fresh outta high school this is all i cooked for a few years. so yeah, i know i can feed him fruits and veggies (he would turn down a black bean burger, i know from experience)  

the struggle i am having with this is the whole refusing to eat meats unless prepared a certain way. i am not willing to fry chicken nuggets every time i make chicken another style for the rest of the family. my mom never made me special meals, so i really don't see me doing it for him unless he genuinely wants to not eat meat at all for a reason other than "i don't like how it looks" or something.


normally i let my kiddos do what they want within reason, my rules are......... do good with your school work, don't act like a jerk to people, after bedtime don't wander around the house all night, don't color on shit that isn't yours, don't drink all the root beers (i am sure they will have more rules as they get a bit older but they are all under 10 so.... good jumping off point).

so this is hard, i think if i give in and just make whatever the hell he wants, it will make him think that is how the house runs.

[ForumTroll]

Spanking.

[Robin]

nah, even if i spanked him, he still wouldn't eat food

totally does not work on him at all

[Rillion]

Kids that age are notorious for refusing to eat...well, most everything for no good reason.  Aren't they?  My nieces both certainly have gone through that phase, which means they have regularly dined on grilled cheese sandwiches and french fries whenever we eat together-- whether it's out or at home.  My mother took the "firm stand" approach with us, which probably resulted in a more balanced diet but also led to a lot of confrontations and stand-offs at the dinner table.  My sister-in-law takes the accomodationist approach, which leads to less confrontation and more food consumed, but it's much crappier food. 

You might try serving more casseroles.  They're not quite like fast food, and not quite like roast beef, but you can throw a hell of a lot of things into one and make it really cheesy and crunchy. 

[alaric89]

He'll eat when he get hungry. Always stick with routine. Be consistant.
 When I was small my class went though the water treatment plant. None of us drank anything but milk and soda for a week. (yes this predated bottled water) Kids freak out sometimes.
 Showing normalcy and laghing it off is the trick. He will not starve.
These techniques worked on me both as a kid and a parent.