Winning the war on food

The Munchkin has a declared war on food. Can’t make her eat it if she doesn’t want it. End of story.

I forsee many hungry days in her future if this keeps up.

Before I get berated for my cruelty toward my child, let me just state a few plain, simple truths to explain that this is a war that the Munchkin has already lost:

1) She’s a toddler. What she wants is irrelevant. If she had her way, she’d eat nothing but cookies and Cheetos and milk all day long. I am Mommy, I know better – therefore, I set the meals.

2) There is no way I can afford to cater to her whims. I know of a family where mom is constantly making different meals for each member of the family (2 kids and dad) because everyone is a picky eater and no one wants the same thing. The precedent was set early on in life, and because mom didn’t say no then, she has had to bring along Easy Mac for her daughter to eat when they have gone over to friends’ homes, because the girl would often refuse to eat anything else offered. She has gotten older and the Easy Mac stays at home, but she’s no less picky about her food. I would go insane if I had to do that, and I can’t afford to raise a picky eater. The Munchkin can have her likes and dislikes, but if that’s what I made, that’s what she’s gonna eat, and if she doesn’t, there won’t be an alternative.

3) Being hungry won’t kill her. She gets offered healthy snacks when she asks for between-meal food, and if she rejects it because it’s not a Fig Newton, hey, she can wait. She may be lean and mean, but she’s not wasting away by any stretch of the imagination.

So we may fight many many many battles, but this war is one that I will win. And yes, that was me putting cinnamon sugar on her toast. I’m not that mean. 🙂

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 21st, 2005 at 6:03 pm and is filed under Children.
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