Congratulations! How old?

Today mine rejected what she claims is her favorite food (PB&J) because the plate was warm from the dishwasher.

There is a reason why.

Your kid just broke your neighbor's picture window. LOL.

(Joking!)

When a kid tells you "It smells good." You know that's the truth.

dcarch

She is three. And nevermind, as the 8 yr old came upstairs from the basement with a "ew, what stinks". THAT is what I am use to.

Hey, 50/50 is darn good odds, so good for you!

Forget about the window, that was your 8 year old. (grin)

Annie

My kids weren't allowed to say "eww" or "yucky", otherwise they got to sit by themselves with their plates in another room and not join in our dinner conversations. It only took a couple of times, each, to find out how miserable that was, and to figure out that it was being rude. To this day (they're in their mid-40's) they will try anything put before them and never even squinch up their noses, no matter who is at the table with them, though they might just push it around on their plates, politely. It's called manners.

Most children's taste buds and their little digestive systems are not fully refined until they are 20 or so, some even later. "Picky" eaters may have valid reasons for not wanting to eat a particular food (such as undiagnosed allergies), and even smells may upset them physically on a level they can't identify or explain. On the other hand, some use it as a power or control measure over the cook. In any case, "No, thank you." is a better way for them to express themselves and no cajoling by the cook should be included. I remember my friend's moms, telling me to eat everything on the plate because other kids were starving. That's when I decided that they could have mine and tried to figure out how to mail it to them. My mom told me how we could give to food banks and suggested we give up a couple of snacks a week so she could use the money we would have eaten to give to the neighbors she knew who had little to eat. I think I was 7 or 8 and hungry all the time. She explained that even the "yuckiest" food to me was nourishment for others who had none. I am sure she had to repeat that several times, but it eventually stuck.

I would tell my children what was for dinner and they had the option of saying, "No, thank you." They did not get a choice for me to make them something else, but double portions of what they did like was OK.

Please excuse me if you think I am being rude to you. I am just expressing my alternatives and my mother's wise use of food to explain how grateful we should be that we had choices at all.

Nancy

Well, maybe one's a foodie and one's not. It happened in our family. I like almost everything and my brother likes almost nothing.

My mother was very good at asking us what we would like to have for dinner and also tried to include us in the preparation of it. If food was put on the table that I could not stomach, I would quietly excuse myself and say that I had no appetite. My mother did not believe in forcing anyone to eat something they did not like, and she also wanted to make an effort to make things that she knew people did like. Today, I always include DB in the selection of what I will make for us to have for dinner.

It's nice that you are starting to get voluntary compliments for what you cook, and I hope you will be able to include your children in the preparation as well fairly soon.

Lars

I made Jude's corn pudding (see light recipes thread) and my picky eater said it smelled great. Still wouldn't try it. I might make her eat all her meals blindfolded so she doesn't know something is different until she realizes she likes it. There's nothing wrong with her palate. She's just stubborn.

I remember the time my daughter came in to the kitchen
and started stirring the soup I was making....she turned and looked at me and said...
there's a lot on onions in here....I was making French Onion Soup....LOL

Relax, some children tend to dislike certain food. My son could not stand egg, in any form. He also hates peanut butter and can smell it a mile away. Experience has taught me to keep trying but not pressuring him. He only began to eat egg at 5 but I still have no luck with peanut butter. My other children simply cannot do without peanut butter. Strange, I know. Hang in there!, she will come around.

I'm having the time of my life enjoying my now-grown kids calling home asking for recipes they grew up with . . . many of which they complained incessantly about! (Most of their friends lived on drive-through food, pop tarts, frozen TV dinners/pot pies, etc . . . which was like an alluring illegal substance to them.)

Last month, my youngest called to ask for my Vinegar Chicken recipe and I replied, "You mean the one that you laid on the floor and cried about every time I made it?" LOL.

Cute stories, Cookie, your kids sound adorable!

AM

To be honest, I was very surprised my 8 yr old made a comment as she is my "chopper" and "mixer", partner in crime, in general, in the kitchen. Maybe her nose was out of joint because she had no input in this meal. I don't make my kids try everything either as I remember as I child having to try stuff and let's just say it was a bad end result. I notice that in one of my kids - he has the same reaction at age 10 and always had. My youngest (1) also does it when he eats something that tastes off for him. There, my dirty secrets, I have four kids and we are gaggers.

Congratulations on your success! When you have picky kids, a compliment is a BIG DEAL! I have two boys, ages 9 and 13 and oh the stories I could tell about their pickiness. My little one has puked not once, but twice when I had him eat a bite of something he didn't want (baked ziti once and spaghetti squash another time). Once when I was making a vinegar bbq sauce, as it was heating my little one said to me in all seriousness "Mom, I think you can die from that smell." Not long ago, my 13 year old actually removed the chicken from a casserole and washed it off because he didn't want anything on it. I don't cater to them-they know where the peanut butter and jelly is if they want to make a sandwich, but they are ridiculously picky. Then again, I was a picky kid so I guess it is payback. My mother never catered to me. My parents would pretty much eat anything put in front of them so they had no tolerance for my brother or me turning up our noses at things. I will say, I have come a long way and I will eat tons more foods than I did as a kid. So keep serving your kids a variety of foods and hope for the best :0 I know I am with my own!

Tracey

Some people do have food sensitivities. Not exactly allergies but they just don't feel well when they eat certain foods. My brother gets a big mucus reaction with vinegar and soy, (as in soybean oil), which is in so much. That's why he always hated ketchup! To this day he eats very, very plain foods, no sauces or condiments, and he eats salad with salt and pepper on it! I'm so glad I don't have any of these issues!! The only thing I can't eat is MSG, and beer. Both make me instantly sick to my stomache.