I have children who are very picky eaters. I know shocking... they are in fact related to me. :-)
But YB has always boggled my mind. The boy won't eat pasta, not any kind of pasta. What kid doesn't eat pasta?! One of ES's favorite meals is home made macaroni and cheese and YB won't eat it. It is one of those things I serve a hot dog with so he eats the hot dog but not the mac&cheese.
Have you ever heard people say "if you want your kid to eat something, have them help make it"? I always scoffed at that advice. Maybe because I have the patience of a gnat and did not want my children helping me cook dinner, but I have never had them help me.
ES is deep into Cub Scouts and one of the requirements for completing his Wolf Badge is to help make a meal, set the table and clean up from the meal. Last night Blunoz was on a later bus and we were hemming and hawing about eating out or staying home. ES said he wanted Macaroni and Cheese so I decided, what the heck and asked if he wanted to help me make it. He did, and of course YB wanted to help too.
They were both great helpers and did not get in my way at all. Dinner might have actually gotten on the table sooner since I did not have to do everything myself. Yes, this was an eye opener to me. I may be getting them to help me out more in the kitchen.
While we were stirring the cheese sauce I asked YB if he was going to try what he made and he said yes. So when we sat down at the table I put some mac and cheese on his plate like I aways do. This was the first night he didn't scream that it even dared to touch his plate. He gobbled up his hot dog and wanted more hot dog, so I reminded him that he was going to try his macaroni and cheese. He actually tried it. Are you all ready for his reaction? Did he hate it? Did he like it? Did he love it? He said it was "yummy!" and ate more. He probably only ate about a tablespoon of it, but certainly more than he ever has in the past.
So yes, having your kids help you make dinner encourages them to try new things because they do want to taste what they made! Who knew?! :-)
14 years ago
2 comments:
You crack me up :) Proud of YB for making and trying mac & cheese...seriously, there are few things better.
Hey, it could be worse for you. Little Man's best friend is the extreme of picky eaters. Currently he will only eat plain pasta with parmesan cheese on it, chicken nuggets, cheese pizza and clementines. Seriously. He won't even eat potatoes...of any kind...not even french fries...what kid doesn't eat french fries???
I loved this! It made me think of Mer. She brought in the trash cans while I was making dinner after watching Little House on the Prairie in an episode where the school kids help Laura water her dying crops while she is sick and pregnant. I was in shock!
Post a Comment