Alison’s cousin came to stay over the weekend, and I found myself exasperated at the child’s refusal to eat any of the food I had to offer.
She’s always been a picky eater, and believe me, I get the whole picky thing. As a child, and actually through to my early twenties, my hypothalamus failed to notify me when my body needed fuel. As a result, I never felt hungry. And if food looked funny, smelled funny, or felt funny, I didn’t eat it.
So, yeah. I get it. My history of pickiness is the reason we have a household rule that the kids have to try at least one bite of everything I put on their plates, healthy or not.
However. In my opinion, this not-quite 7-year-old’s eating habits go beyond being picky. She will not eat anything that is not deep fried, unless it’s ramen noodles or a peanut butter and jelly sandwich – and even then, it has to be on white bread, no crusts.
Her visit was unexpected, and so I had nothing to feed her int he pantry. Blythe and I had to make a quick run up to the corner market, otherwise girlfriend was going to starve the whole time she was here. And yes, I told her that I was not happy about spending $20 on “junk” because she won’t eat a damn banana or whole wheat noodle.
The child does not consume anything with any nutritional value. N-O-T-H-I-N-G.
I know I go above and beyond when it comes to serving whole, nutritious foods in my household, and I also understand that not everyone eats that way. If it weren’t for Blythe’s food allergies, I’d probably even allow my kids to eat a deep fried this or that on occasion.
My in-laws insist that Alison’s cousin’s greasy food habit is normal, and my kids’ love of fruits, veggies, and whole grains is an oddity.
It’s hard for me to believe that in this age of information, serving kids nothing but hollow foods is standard. But then again, childhood obesity is at an all-time high, and you can’t go to a restaurant without seeing corndogs and chicken nuggets on the children’s menu.
So help me out, my friends. Where on the spectrum does your family fall?
Do your kids refuse to eat anything that isn’t fried or sugar filled? Are your kids fruit and veggie junkies? Or do they fall somewhere in between, in a happy medium?
