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Do you teach your kids bad habits??

AnotherChef

AnotherChef

As a Chef, I have served millions of chicken nuggets, hot dogs, macaroni and cheese plates to children. As a parent I prefer to avoid poor dining choices for my children. Granted, things don't always work out in my favor and we have to alter our weekly menus based on the sensitive palates of a 5 yr old and a 16 month old.

Tonight I prepared Herb Roasted Chicken thighs with Roasted Root Vegetables with a simple rice pilaf.

(I know you guys like plated pics)
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Here are the others from tonight.
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hotwheels

hotwheels

Me and my brother were generally (with rare exceptions) not allowed fast food and soda before we became teens. By that time we had developed good eating habits and never ate junk food regularly like most other kids did. In fact, once we became teens, we were free-range kids, with pretty much no forced parental interference/guidance in any regard.
 
SirChangalot

SirChangalot

Very good choice, some kids are spoiled with only junk food and always getting their choice. Nice to see small children eating something that can actually be classified as food.
 
BSAGuy

BSAGuy

Very nice and nutricous. We always encouraged our children to eat our adult food, but we also gave them plenty of nuggets and other fast foods. All three have grown up to be good, healthy eaters. Serendipity, I guess.
 
langod

langod

It's awesome that your kids eat great food. Some kids won't though. And don't tell me "oh, they'll eat when they're hungry enough." Well, that may be technically true, I didn't really want to make every meal time a several hour test of wills. So yes, we adjusted our menus to be kid friendly or provide the option of nuggets, spaghetti-o's, burgers and fries, etc. If the wife and I made something more interesting, I'd often hold back a piece of chicken breast or whatever and just give it a quick pan sear, and plate it with a handful of raw carrot sticks. Even now -- she's 20 years old -- I still do that She's just not particularly adventurous and while she eats more adult food, she does not like trying new foods and enjoys and takes comfort from a fairly limited menu. Of course, now it's her choice and overall, she eats reasonably healthy.
I will say that it drives my wife and I nuts, because we will try anything and love lots of different ethnic cuisines. We joke that my daughter must have been switched in the hospital.
 
kelbro

kelbro

Alfred Spatchcock
You didn't mention the 'reception' by the kids...

We had a rule at our house. If you want to eat, you eat what was cooked for the family. No special meals. Mom tried to cook healthy. Dad, not so much. We had a good balance I suppose but possibly a little heavy on the 'not as healthy' side.
 
AnotherChef

AnotherChef

They both will eat just about anything. Our daughter loves any and all vegetables but is not a fan of pork. Our son (the youngest) is not a fan of bread or soft textures...

We always try the dinner option first then offer a substitute if they are not receptive. I'm curious to see how the boy will do come soup/stew season!!
 
bahomebrew

bahomebrew

I've said to my wife many times, different families will have different issues and focus points. For some, food good or bad, is not an issue. They really don't pay much attention one way or the other. For me, I ate mac and cheese, microwaved bolgna, and cereal where I would dump a lot of sugar in to make it more "palatable". I also loved ketchup on two of those three meals(I won't say which two). At some point I became more and more adventurous about eating and now will eat many things that most would not, so no harm done, I would say.

I think control is a big issue for children, and one of the places they can exert a meaningful amount of control is what goes in their mouths. I have always said to my son that he can eat what he wants, and if he prepares it, he can make whatever he wants, but I have always asked him to try the food prepared for him, and told him that tastes change and one day he might like or dislike something that he previously disliked or liked. It has worked so far as he eats many foods that other nine year olds would not and has tried most everything at this point including blood pudding and pate. He doesn't like pate, but he tried it. I'd like to think that giving him control and asking him to meet me halfway were respectful ways of handling what he eats and made a difference in how he eats, but I have friends who I think have been plenty respectful in their dialogue with their kids, and the kids still only eat mac and cheese and chicken nuggets. There is more here than meats the eye.:a19:
 
TexLaw

TexLaw

Fussy Evil Genius
We always put plenty of foods in front of our kids. I agree that control is a big thing, so we never made it a matter of control. We always styled it like it was a treat to get to try and eat these things, rather than something that they had to endure. The greatest disservice a parent ever can do a child is to prejudice them against something just because kids aren't supposed to enjoy it. Positive attitudes breed positive results. Fear and disdain breed the same.

And, as a result, I'll never forget watching a friend of ours nearly drop to the floor when he asked our (then) six year old son what his favorite meal was and got the answer "salmon and artichokes." His younger brother then chimed in that he loved broccoli.
 
AnotherChef

AnotherChef

Adam I completely agree. I think the greatest challenge is exposure. If the child is not exposed to various products then their options will obviously be greatly reduced. You can blame their limited exposure on food deserts, economic status, cooking ability or simple palatability of the child but our greatest concern needs to be the alarming growth rate of the diabetes epidemic that is plagueing this country.

As a culinarian and first responder I can guarantee you that the majority of my "customers" will either develop or currently have diabetes.
 
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Deltaboy

Deltaboy

Lord I tryed not too and so far as a first year college studnet I have not. My daughter got food allergies that are borderline Epi Pen able.

So she has to watch for carrots like a hawk and tomatos makes her face break out like acne.
 
Fgl28

Fgl28

In having a 20 year old who has been a foodies since she went off baby food, it is very simple. Give them a voice in the meal. Now it meant that we had pea leaves multiple times a week for awhile or having roasted Brussels sprouts during the summer but it worked. Give them choices either type or predation method. And have them help.mine got a MAC paring knife that is in the shape of a kid sized chef knife when she was in 1st grade. And she was trained how to use it properly. Only a couple of minor cuts. The key is that she got to try all things even fast food.

The real good good news is when she is home she loves to cook. Bad news she hates to clean.
 
Quink

Quink

My son just turned 13... and yes, we adapted his menu. But only until he was 4 or so. After that it was a "you're having whatever is on the table" kind of deal. That was pretty hard in the beginning but we got through that. He did have some input though. Once a week he got to pick the dinner... Usually Chicken nuggets and fries... (that was a fun phase) but later he came around and by now he is eating most things. Everybody has something they don't like... so do I. To this day I can't do Liver...

He did have his phases, like I said, but I tried to be considerate (sometimes). He had a phase, where he did't like red spagetti sauce (tomato based) so we just made Carbonara... he still digs that today. Its all a matter of give and take. The thing I didn't do was being Blackmailed into submission. There has got to be an understanding that I am the adult and he is the child. There were nights when he tried to muscle his "opinion" through... and he did go to bed without eating (per his own choice - one of those either you eat whats on the table or you can go to bed right now deals). He learned quickly that he only had to ask for a small helping of things he didn't like, eat up and then he could have a sandwich or something else... but first you had what was prepared!!

Now that he's older its very unproblematic. He still does the small helping thing if he isn't the biggest fan and in general if its something he absolutely hates (Fish) he'll get something else. But in that instance that was a planned occasion where he was asked if he would like some or rather have something else...

Sorry for the long post but that's a topic that gets to me a bit when I see what kind of a fuss some of my friend have and make with their kids....
 
dpittman70

dpittman70

Good job, Robert.

My wife has my 7 and 5 year olds cook with her sometimes. This week they made a potato, corn (cut from the cob), and spinach soup. The kids loved making and eating it. Tomorrow for breakfast we will have eggs and bacon (and other things like toast, yogurt, and fruit), cooked and sliced by my children.
 
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