The memories I have of my childhood eating habits are interesting. I recall eating an entire Sunday dinner on only one occasion under the age of 12, a Sunday dinner being roasted meat, potato (mashed or roasted), stuffing, two or three veg. and gravy. It was at my Nan Bennett's house and I'm sure I ate brussel sprouts, I know it was covered in Mint Sauce. Beyond that I don't recall many vegetable in my life. Eggs? Yes. Cheese? Maybe. Milk? On Cocoa Puffs. I enjoyed a good plate of fried potato offerings, be they thick or thin, along with a good pile of beans, a sausage or some kind of fried, breaded meat product. We went to Disney World when I was 11 and I ate a Cheeseburger at every place we went to. And I think my mum did a fantastic job raising me. These days, that meal plan wouldn't be accompanied by the words "fantastic job," but let's fly in the face of modern convention shall we? I have never struggled with my weight, I don't like to exercise but I don't lose my breath after a flight of stairs either. I have always been moderately to very happy with how I look, and who I am. Why? Because my mum did a fantastic job raising me.
So why do I obsess over the eating habits of my almost two year old. I admit, I don't obsess as much as some, it's also not consistent obsession. But every now and then I get that niggling feeling that I'm not feeding him right. He's healthy, he's always had fabulous Doctor's appointments, he weighs an appropriate amount and can run circles around me. Yet since we switched from puree to finger food about a year ago, he just plain won't eat his vegetables. I'm supposed to give him vitamin supplements if I listen to the mothering community at large, or hide vegetable in his food a la Jessica Seinfeld, which I do on occasion. But hang on a sec, we may know a lot more about how things work now but I'm pretty sure my mum knew what was best for me and can I get another chorus in of she did a fantastic job raising me? Amen!
Vegetables on pizza are okay. Mashed Potatoes and French Fries are fine. Fruit is accptable 95% of the time. Milk is good, cheese is wonderful, but oh those veggies how he hates them. Boiled, Fried, Sauteed, covered in cheese sauce. Nothing will induce him to eat his veggies with dinner.
The other hang up? Cutlery. We haven't spoon fed him in I can't remember how long but he still alternates between cutlery and finger food. Sometimes he scoops yogurt with his fingers. I occasionally try and make him use his spoon, and he does, he can do it, but he still ends up knuckle deep in food by the end of the meal. I think it's more fun for him that way. It certainly increases the food to mouth distribution time!
You know what? I don't think I care anymore. You know why. Because I lived on deep fried food when I was a kid and I think my mum did a fantastic job raising me! At the end of the day, if he'll eat it, he'll eat it. If he won't then he won't. If he wants to use his fingers or his spoon I won't care. Unless he becomes Mal-nourished in some way I don't think we have anything to worry about! Want to know something else, each time my mum visits and lives with us for a week or two, I get less hung up on this crap. I think she's still doing a fantastic job raising me!
Join me in the toddler food revolution!
My son is the same way. I don't know how to get veggies into him without sneaking them in and Jessica Seinfeld I am not. Yet I rarely remember eating veggies growing up except corn and beans. I need to join you in the toddler food revolution! I need to stop worrying and just let him eat what he will eat.
ReplyDeleteI figure it's more important to continually offer your kids vegetables then it is to sneak them in or force them to eat them. The more they are exposed to the existence, and the more they see their parents eating them, the sooner they will try them on their own, and maybe actually end up liking them.
ReplyDeleteBut I also don't worry too much about what my kid is eating. French fries for two meals yesterday and tater tots with dinner? Sure!