When it rains it pours

[Aria]

I should clarify. We were never forced to eat anything, never had to clean our plate. If we ate a reasonable amount at dinner that was fine, but if we flat-out refused to eat our dinner, we weren't getting anything else until breakfast the next day. Also, my parents tended to stick to kid-friendly veggies like carrots and peas, I think my mom and dad dislike bitter veggies as much as I do (Brussels sprouts are ICK).

Have you ever baked your brussel sprouts? All through my childhood, I thought I hated them. As an adult, I thought they were boring and a bit nasty... but my mom boiled them. Then my sister's MIL told her to roast them and oh. My. God. It's like night and day! And you can roast them with parmesan and stuff too. They are so good.

[EricKei]

While it's only practical when yer at home, I have found that making "clean your plate" (or, at least, "eat a reasonable amount") a prerequisite for having dessert to be fairly effective "Well, you ate most of one chicken leg and three fries, then said you were full. If you're full, then you must not have room for dessert!" (cue pouty face from the six-year-old)

[Sparklyturtle]

I hate to be a pain in the place where the sun never shines, but there's a lot more to diabetes than obesity. Like in my case - One entire side of my family, every last individual I know about, has/had diabetes. It does sound like this young man is catered to in ways he shouldn't be, but saying that he's overweight and has a horrible diet so he's going to develop diabetes isn't necessarily true.

I once knew a family where the mom made everyone a different meal for dinner, and it wasn't because of allergies or special diets; she just had a family of picky eaters. She complained constantly about how much work it was, but when I suggested that perhaps she should either make something and they could eat it as they saw fit and/or make something for themselves if they didn't like what she'd cooked, she was shocked that I would make a statement like that: "Oh, no! I couldn't do that - it's the only way to get my kids to eat!" I tried to picture my mother doing this, and I kept coming back to her declaration that she wasn't a d*** short-ordered cook.

[EricKei]

There are a bunch of potential factors that can contribute towards both types of diabetes. Factors that you can freely debate on our sister site, if you catch my drift. -_-

We now return you to our regularly scheduled thread about picky eaters, already in progress.

[Kanalah]

I wish we could only give dessert when there was a reasonable amount eaten. The younger kids always do an awesome job, as do the oldest ones. It's the dang 3rd and 4th graders that think the sun shines out their ass that piss me off.

And I have 2 kids in 3rd grade.

[cindybubbles]

I once knew a family where the mom made everyone a different meal for dinner, and it wasn't because of allergies or special diets; she just had a family of picky eaters. She complained constantly about how much work it was, but when I suggested that perhaps she should either make something and they could eat it as they saw fit and/or make something for themselves if they didn't like what she'd cooked, she was shocked that I would make a statement like that: "Oh, no! I couldn't do that - it's the only way to get my kids to eat!" I tried to picture my mother doing this, and I kept coming back to her declaration that she wasn't a d*** short-ordered cook.

Why can't she get the kids to help her make dinner, instead of making something all by themselves? Or she can make batches of stuff, like potatoes, corn, and meat, and the kids can arrange their own dishes, buffet-style. Sectioned plates also help, for those kids that don't like foods touching one another.

As for the OP, why can't the school just take the student's name off from the list so that he doesn't get anything from the school? Let Mom pack his lunch, and give the cookies to those students whose parents gave the school permission to do so instead. Maybe make him eat his lunch with the principal in his or her office for a few days, too.

[notalwaysright]

As for the OP, why can't the school just take the student's name off from the list so that he doesn't get anything from the school? Let Mom pack his lunch, and give the cookies to those students whose parents gave the school permission to do so instead. Maybe make him eat his lunch with the principal in his or her office for a few days, too.

'Cause the parent is the cause of all the problems... She apparently packs him even more sweets in addition to the ones included in the school lunch. I'm sure the school can't do anything about this without the parents permission. And come to think of it, I doubt anyone would do anything since I remember Kanalah said her CW justified him bumming pizza from another kid with "well he has to eat!" So since he's "picky" he gets to manipulate everyone around him, and I'm sure that started with dearest mum.

[slyfoxxy]

My daughter is type 1 diabetic and it is a big no no in her school to swap food or provide food to children that aren't yours. She has to eat what I pack her or she gets nothing else and she knows it, but being a picky eight year old makes it hard sometimes and even worse when she knows if she lets her sugar dip low she'll get the sweets. It's very frustrating. This mother has no excuse though besides poor parenting, I feel for you OP.

[Sliceanddice]

The only time in school I ever had a problem with school lunches was sweet and sour pork day or the fruit of the day is pineapple.

I would have to tell the lunch lady I was allergic. I would then either get the alternative, the pineapple on the side or big fuck you. The fuck you ment I had to go hungry or be sick and I was on free/reduced lunch as kid and my dad was yeller.

Once there where only two options cause everything else was picked fast sweet and sour chicken with rice, broccoli and orange segments or corn dog with fries, peas and pineapple. I asked the lunch lady if I could have the oranges with the corn dog and was told no. I asked if I could get it without pineapple due to my allergies was told no. I got the corn dog cause I figured since it was separated on the tray I could just eat around it, unbeknownst to me she splashed the juice on to the peas.

Cue me an hour later crying and throwing up in the nurses office, my dad picking me up and after my stomach settling at home and him asking me if I ate something funny cause I had no fever. I told him I had just my corndog, friesand peas cause the lunch lady wouldn't me have oranges so I had no fruit. He asked me what the fruit i was given but didn't eat was, I told him pineapple but I didn't eat and didn't touch it. He got quiet, went to the fridge where the monthly cafeteria menu was put by me after I got it and read it. He then gave me some crackers and let me sleep in my parents bed until my mom got home and it was dinner, of which I was able to keep down mashed potatoes and was in no mood for the bbq chicken.

The next day I was feeling better and when my dad took me to school we went to the office and not my classroom where I sat in the waiting room while I heard my dad yelling in the principal's office. Then went he was done he kissed me good bye and sent me to my classroom.

After that the school started having the fruit separate at the end of the lunch line.

This was third grade btw so I was 9.

[Kanalah]

A lot of parents purchase the hot lunch option because it's easier for them. It's actually from a catering company, so it's pretty good food.

We have quite a few kids who don't like what's on the hot lunches, but their parents buy it anyway, and then my coworkers and I get to argue with the kids about it. Besides the dessert obsessed 4th grader, we have a handful of 1st graders who don't like ground beef but love hamburgers, or don't like corn dogs and only eat the breading or only the hot dog inside. One 1st grader is tiny, and she only pecks at her food. She has to have a catheter put in after lunch - she was here last year and I heard that her parents didn't want to potty train her, so we have to do the catheter.

And this year we have a 3 year old that when she came at the beginning of the school year she didn't know how to chew. She'd only been fed baby food. So mom packed candy and junk food to "encourage" her to eat at school.

I just don't understand buying a lunch with things you know your child doesn't eat and then getting upset when they don't eat.

[KuariKaydrith]

I...just...catheter instead of potty training? My brain just broke. Can the girl go pee on her own or is there something else going on there? My experience with that sort of thing is that the person being cathed usually has something going on down there and really can't fully expel urine on their own. At least that is the case with my sister and a few of the other special needs kids I've been dealing with.

And not knowing how to chew at the age of three?

I just...some people shouldn't be parents, I swear.

[Aria]

And this year we have a 3 year old that when she came at the beginning of the school year she didn't know how to chew. She'd only been fed baby food. So mom packed candy and junk food to "encourage" her to eat at school.

*dies a little inside* And they probably thought that's the right way to wean a child... what is WRONG with some people? We have the internet! We have books! USE THEM!

[AnaKhouri]

My son's school has a 'no junk food' rule about packed lunches but of course they can't enforce it really. I slip in a cookie or something for him a couple times a week. The rules actually listed the percentage of juice their drinks had to be, and other ridiculously specific crap, which irritated me- it's my kid, I can decide what's good for him. As far as I can tell the lunch rules are completely disregarded by everyone anyway.

We get a menu every month from the cafeteria and I ask Khan which days he wants to buy lunch, to make sure he will eat it. Kids go through phases where some of them just don't eat a lot- when Khan's having a growth spurt is typically when he's hungry all the time, but otherwise he eats pretty small portions. So if he brings home some of his lunch or has to toss it I'm not bothered. I've never had a clean your plate rule- I think forcing kids to eat more than they want is a good way to cause food issues later, and I don't make him eat stuff he doesn't like (though we do have a two-bite rule). I don't just pile loads of food on his plate either- I start with small servings and if he wants more, he can have it. If he wants a snack later, he gets a banana. Offering kids a banana as a snack is a surefire way to make sure they only ask when they're really hungry.

[notalwaysright]

Holy eff, that catheter thing makes me really angry. Don't want to potty train? Don't have a freaking kid. I'm not normally a "get the CPS involved" type of person, but this makes me want to help that poor child. What kind of life could she possibly have?

[dalesys]

I didn't eat the school lunch my parents paid for in junior high... The money was better spent on ROCKETS!