Despite the best efforts of parents who plan, shop, cook, and serve meals like short-order cooks, kids are well known for their tendency to turn down meals that don’t feature buttered pasta, cheese-“flavored” products, or some form of nuggets. Picky eaters’ protests can lead to frustration, worry, power struggles, and hellish meal times.
But there are things you can do. Conventional wisdom — that kids will be malnourished and parents need to intervene, through pleading, bribing, threatening, and otherwise convincing children to eat their food — is not only false; it can backfire. Making food a subject of discipline can stress kids out, exacerbate food aversions, and ruin the potential for family bonding during mealtimes.
Though it’s natural to worry that kids will get sick if left to their own devices, childhood eating disorders, though serious, are extremely rare. Most kids won’t voluntarily starve themselves: they’ll eat eventually, figure out that a diet of goldfish and ice cream won’t sustain them, and avoid long-term health consequences. Here’s how to tell what you’re dealing with.