Parenting Dilemma

7 year old little tinker.

“I’m so full I’ve had enough”

“You’ve barely eaten”

“It’s the mince it’s reeeeeaaallly filling”

“Not that filling”

“It is”

“Well are you sure? Cos it’s going in the bin”

“Yeah”

*chucks away*

“I’m not too full for Cheetos though”

Tea has been chucked and Cheetos are all that’s now available.

Do I let him have them and set a bad example of letting him get away with that, or do I let him go a bit hungry?

 

Hungry.

 

Hungry, and a clip rahnd t’ear oyl!

 

Pick your battles. I always said toast if they were hungry but hadn't eaten tea!

 

Regular occurrence or a one off? One off I'd let it slide

 

Cow and Cream for a burger you won't regret it

 

Hungry, I can’t believe this is even a question.

 

Things to instil in children.

Do as you’re told.
You eat what you’re given.
Food is precious, and not all are as lucky as you.

There, my no kids experience for free, you’re welcome ;-)

 

Gave him the choice between steamed veggies and nowt, he chose nowt. Nobody can say I wasn’t fair lol

 

My reasons aren’t even those one (although possibly the last one), it’s more that he went about things in a sneaky way and I’d want him to be honest in future. Had be said that he didn’t really like the mince and could he just eat a bit and then have some Cheetohs I’d be fine with it but to say he’s too full and then ask for more food is not ok.

 

Best option, if he really was hungry he’d have chosen the veg and now he can’t hold resentment for you ‘starving’ him - even though you clearly weren’t anyway as you’d already given him the mince.

 

I’ve two kids, now aged 7 and 3. We’ve always been clear that they get what they are given to eat and there’s not a choice of something else. Occasional exceptions are made if they retrospectively want fruit or yoghurt.

 

You made an error in parenting. You shouldn't have told him the meal was going in the bin and, worse, then binning it. It's an invitation for him later to say he's hungry again and then you have no food ammunition left.
Having said that Im a ***** parent so what do I know?

 

Firstly I think you did right for the reasons Jamdrop said. It's not that he didn't want the mince but that he lied to get what he wanted that meant saying no was the right option.
But I notice a few people have said this so as a complete none parent I find the 'youll eat what we tell you' attitude a bit weird really. I choose my meals every day, we all do. Obviously couples decide between them but none of us as adults get told 'this is your meal and you'll eat it regardless' but so many people seem to use that control over their kids meals. Eat it or else. I find it quite weird that it's an acceptable attitude to have. However as I said I haven't got kids, I'd be a terrible parent and it's just how it seems to me from the outside looking in.

 

Most kids would probably have a plate of chips for tea if you gave them the choice though. Kids have their lives dictated to them for a load of valid reasons.

 

I get that but I still find the it's this or nothing attitude a bit controlling

 

Hungry - but not bin the dinner leave it on the table. Then when he asks for whatever, offer him back the dinner (cold, not microwaved) and let him eat it cold...

 

What's the logic behind not microwaving it?

 

Go hungry, although I can't understand why you throw good food away.

 

I feel the same way. There’s a whole scale of it obviously but at the far end there are definitely people who use it as a control thing. Obviously you need them to eat what you’re eating most of the time for ease of cooking and I wouldn’t go as far as asking them what they wanted to eat as an open ended question but there’s no reason not to offer them an X or X choice sometimes. One thing that would be a non negotiable is if a kid has eaten a prepared meal before and liked it then that’s all they are getting (as some kids like to change their mind daily about what they do and don’t like).