Have a New Kid by Friday - Dr Kevin Leman [79]
“People who are starving across the sea would love to have that food.”
“Eat it. You’ll like it.”
“Just take a bite, and I’ll give you some candy for dessert.”
Those kinds of comments were around when I was a kid too, and they didn’t work for me either. But here’s the truth: if eating is in a mountain category, it’s because the parent is dumb enough to bring home all the sugars and fats that the kids are eating. If parents are smart, they start early in getting children interested in eating real food rather than the sugar-carb crap that serves as baby and toddler food.
Many studies have been done that show that children, if not pushed by their parents, will eat what their bodies crave. For example, children who are in a growth phase might require a lot more protein. Who cares if a child eats fish, fish, and fish for a week, then eats veggies the next week because that’s what she craves? She’s still getting an overall balanced diet.
When eating becomes a battle with children, it’s because the parents are too pushy. They hover, they overcontrol. And every child has a built-in antenna that’s aimed toward identifying what’s important to Mom and Dad. That’s the way your kids keep you over a barrel and controlled—at least in their thinking. So if you make eating an issue, they’ll say, “Hey, let’s give Mom a run for her money and see how far we get.”
One key to good nutrition is preparing well-balanced meals. Dishes should be passed, and children should use a serving spoon and put the food on the plate themselves (rather than being served a certain amount). Emphasize that trying things is good. Acknowledge that not everyone will like the same thing, but everyone needs to try it. Don’t force children to finish what’s on their plate. Studies have shown that your child can eat in one sitting only the amount of food that is the size of his fist. Any more than that can stretch his capacities and lead to struggles with overeating. Also make it clear that when dinner’s over, it’s over. There’s no going for the snacks in the cabinet an hour afterward.
Another key is not having junk food in the house. If you have it in your house, who is bringing it in? The next time you go to the store, check out the fat and sodium content in Lunchables and Goldfish crackers—two items many parents consider standard kid food. Then there’s McDonald’s and pizza day at school. The American diet, in general, is horrible and life-shortening. So many of the things our children consume are actually horrific to eat. And with our on-the-go American lifestyle, the average American child ends up eating out at least one meal a day!
Recently Lauren, my teenage daughter, and I went to a basketball game. Neither of us had eaten before the game, so we were really hungry afterward. “Where do you want to go to eat, honey?” I asked her. Well, guess what? She didn’t say McDonald’s or Burger King. Good for her. You know what she wanted? Salmon! Yup, salmon. A whole lot more expensive for her thrifty father, but a whole lot healthier for her. And you know why Lauren said that? Because Sande, my dear wife, spent her time at the food processor when Lauren was a baby, making her own baby food without all the preservatives and junk that go into the Gerber variety. What we ate at the dinner table, Lauren ate in mushed-up form. And it taught her to enjoy the taste of real food, healthy food.
That’s a taste she’ll have for a lifetime. Well worth the extra work, I’d say.
Pornography
All the mom had intended to do was change her adolescent son’s stinky sheets, but she got much more than she bargained for. Just as she pulled the sheets off the bed, something else peeked out from under the mattress: Penthouse and Playboy magazines.
Stunned doesn’t describe how this mom felt. What should she do? She had filth in her house, and her young son was not only looking at it but had brought it in to the house!
Here’s what I suggested she do. Rather than confront her 13-year-old and get into a yelling