Updated: March 17, 2017
Originally Published: March 17, 2017
Before my 5-year-old son, I never thought it was possible for a kid to thrive on just a handful of bites a day, with most of those being some variant of cheese. It seems like he’s discovered a way to convert air into energy. Perhaps that’s why he never stops chatting! I swear he only grows because he drinks milk like he’s training for a dairy competition.
I’ve tried everything in my arsenal to coax him into eating dinner — begging, bribing, tears, yelling, wishing on shooting stars, even singing those catchy Daniel Tiger songs. This kid has absolutely no interest in food. You could present him with his favorite dessert, and if he’s decided he won’t touch the stir-fry, it’s game over — forever. If the world froze over, he’d still be sitting there with his napkin dramatically draped over his head.
He’s like a food detective with superhuman skills. He can spot a hidden piece of broccoli a mile away. Somehow, he can tell whenever I’ve attempted to sneak in some spinach into his pancakes — a desperate effort to get one vegetable into his diet. He has a radar for any tomato that isn’t blended into a smooth sauce. Everything he deems “too spicy,” “too meaty,” or “not cereal enough.” Honestly, if I let him, he’d be content to eat cereal for every meal. Sometimes I’m tempted to just give in.
I’ve resorted to measures I once vowed I would never take to get him to eat. I once cut his apples into little star shapes because he promised he’d try them. And yes, I actually rocked his stuffed bear while he took bites of his grilled cheese sandwich. I know he’s playing me, but you know what? He ate that sandwich, so maybe I’m the one losing this game.
At dinner, he could care less about growing, his tummy hurting the next morning, or that a cow gave its life for his burger. He’s completely indifferent to Santa Claus and his elves. I’ve definitely heard the advice that “They can eat what you make or go hungry.” While I never make anything different from what we eat, I fear he’d choose hunger over tacos.
As a family that relishes in the joy of food, this is incredibly frustrating. Our weekends revolve around cooking and planning meals, and we love having friends over for culinary experiments. Yet, he sits there like a non-food-eating alien, scowling at our lovingly prepared dishes.
I realize there are kids out there who are even pickier, only consuming three or four types of food. If I had the energy, I’d light candles for those parents, or at least for myself as I try to persuade my son to take the napkin off his head and eat one stinkin’ bite of dinner.
We’re making an effort to transform dinner into a less torturous experience. He recently expressed a desire to be taller than his sister, which has helped when faced with a pile of broccoli. And as he grows, he’s becoming more open to the idea of sampling new things — at least one bite to pacify us. I’ve read that it takes kids 10 to 15 tries before they like a new food, so getting him to take that one bite feels like a major win.
We’ll keep at it, one bite at a time, one meal at a time, hoping that eventually, he’ll find joy in dinner with the rest of us — or at least stop making us all miserable in the process.
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