Eating dinner help!!!!!!!!!?

Question

ok we have 6 people in the house. and i am sorry even though i love eveyone i can not make 6 different things. so, we sit down, i say we are eating chicken, beans and peas. 3 out of 6 will maybe eat. well, i know the old saying then do dessert and wait until breakfast. But i am sorry we then have wasted food. then i say eat it tomorrow then if you are not hungry. and we argue. they cry. and it rots after days. i am now trying you will sit there until its done. well its after 8:00 and hes be thowing a tantrum for hours. what other ideas do you have. anyone???

Answer 1

Put him to bed!! He won't die from not eating for the evening. If you don't want to waste the food then put it in the fridge and tell him he will be eating it for lunch tomorrow. If he throws a fit about it then maybe he will need a nap and no lunch tomorrow. He'll figure out that he needs to eat when food is put in front of him after a couple of days of that. Don't feed him a bunch of snacks in between meals though.

Answer 2

I am the mother of two daughters, ages 11 and 13.  My 11 year old is a very picky eater and chances her tastes from week to week.  I have had this problem with her and this is what I do.  When I cook I cook one meal for the family.  If she will not eat it because she is not hungry or just doesn't want it than it gets wrapped and put in the refrigerator.  She is not allowed any snacks or other food.  If she states that she is hungry she needs to finish what is on her plate first.  This always works for her because she knows I am serious.  You must stick to this and trust me if they are hungry they will eat it.  Be firm, Mom!

Hope this helps :0)

Answer 3

If 3 out of 6 generally like the food, rotate what 3 like with what they don't.  The 3 that don't should happily eat the leftovers from the day before.

Maybe surprise them one day and just tell them that you don't feel like cooking this week.  Then follow up on it.  They'll get the drift.

Good luck.

Answer 4

hmmm my daughter pulled the same thing when she was 5....we took away something she really liked for a week.....i believe it was her wii...anyway...she has yet to throw another tantrum at dinner because she knows she won't like the consequences!

Answer 5

In our house, the rule is you eat what I make or go hungry.. crying and tantrums do not change the rule and will earn you a trip to your room.  I only make one meal, I'm not a short order cook.  If any of the kids (including my husband,lol)  don't want what I am eating, they can wait until the next meal, that also means no dessert or snack.  Rarely is this a problem, my kids are not at all picky eaters.

Answer 6

be a tiny bit more hardhearted and say you can have it or you can not have it

Answer 7

I know what you're talking about.  Sounds like your kids are slightly spoiled.  I'm not blaming just stating an observation.  From this moment on make sure they know the rules.  You have no time for arguements with your children, and the arguements prove to the child that they can be the squeeky wheel and get their way.  It's a terrible lessen to learn as a child because once you become an adult well...the rules change, regardless.

I don't know how old your kids are, but if they are old enough to complain they are old enough to eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  make your schedule and if they complain hand them a butterknife, bread and peanut butter.  You want them to know they won't starve but you are not bending to their will.

If that doesn't work then come up with a schedule.  It might work out better in the long run that Monday is John choice, Tuesday is Mary's choice, blah blah blah and then the last day is a mom is tired day.  SOmeone else takes over completely.  Be it the oldest child or Dad, who is not supporting you by the description provided.  Either one will discover how hard it is to cook for the family.

Answer 8

If he doesn't eat dinner excuse him from the table with nothing else until breakfast.  Going to bed hungry is not going to kill him.  Do not save the meal from dinner for breakfast, because the nutritional value of the foods has dissipated over night and some foods aren't any good the next day.  He should not get dessert if he doesn't eat dinner

Answer 9

tough love..have the kids get involved in the meal planning. If they help pick it, serve themselves, even pick recipes, they are more likely to eat.

Answer 10

Umm..

Well..

This is a hard situation.

Try to find 3 dishes and have 2 people like each dish..

Answer 11

I've never heard of any good coming out of "forcing" a kid to eat food. I would say your best bet is to have the family help plan the meals (within reason of course--give options). That way, everyone is responsible for meal-time happiness, and hopefully some of the pressure will relieve itself. Also, it will teach the kids respect to eachother because they will want others to react well to their planned meal, and will hopefully offer respect to other siblings' choices for the meal in return.

Hope this makes sense....good luck!!

Answer 12

my mom says eat what i make or make your own food