cheryl
Administrator
Staff member
New ways to handle picky eaters - Macomb Daily
Once upon a time, not too long ago, parents would force children to clean their plates during meals, regardless of hunger. We now know that this feeding strategy can teach children to ignore their own hunger cues and overeat as adults.
The next contingent educated themselves about nutrition and earned the label "helicopter parents." They progressed from expecting their kids to eat every item on a plate to expecting them to eat some of every nutrient on a plate. When that didn't happen, these parents panicked. They begged, cajoled or bribed their kids to eat three more bites, if they didn't give in and make a second dinner so the child would at least eat something. This reinforced a generation's tendency toward picky eating.
I became a parent during the "no-thank-you bite" chapter: Kids needed to try one bite of everything on their plate, then could say "no thank you" if they didn't like something. This strategy inherently sends the message that the child won't like the food. Why is anyone surprised when that turns out to be the case?
Once upon a time, not too long ago, parents would force children to clean their plates during meals, regardless of hunger. We now know that this feeding strategy can teach children to ignore their own hunger cues and overeat as adults.
The next contingent educated themselves about nutrition and earned the label "helicopter parents." They progressed from expecting their kids to eat every item on a plate to expecting them to eat some of every nutrient on a plate. When that didn't happen, these parents panicked. They begged, cajoled or bribed their kids to eat three more bites, if they didn't give in and make a second dinner so the child would at least eat something. This reinforced a generation's tendency toward picky eating.
I became a parent during the "no-thank-you bite" chapter: Kids needed to try one bite of everything on their plate, then could say "no thank you" if they didn't like something. This strategy inherently sends the message that the child won't like the food. Why is anyone surprised when that turns out to be the case?