but I don't wanna!

I sometimes hear that from my kids at the kitchen table when they don't want to eat something.

There are certain foods that they genuinely do not like.  Pumpkin does NOT like tomatoes.  Boo does NOT like mushrooms.  So I don't feed it to them, or I sneak it in or let them pick it out.  I don't like tomatoes or cooked mushrooms either, but if you put them in front of me, I will eat them even though I will not enjoy it.

Generally I have a zero tolerance for picky-ness when it comes to food.  The motto at my table is "you get what you get, and you don't get upset".  If you are "not hungry" then the food I made will be there when you are hungry....even if that means you're eating it for breakfast.

I don't expect them to like everything they eat, but I expect them to try a mouthful or 2.  If then you still don't like it, then I will offer an alternative, or just remove it.

I don't buy this excuse "well, they just pick it off so why bother" or "they're only kids, they'll grow out of it"  WE as parents have a responsibility to help our kids learn healthy eating habits...that may mean making them eat things they don't want to....like veggies.

I recently read an article about a girl who has only eaten cheese pizza since she was 2.  I call that poor parenting.  My kids would only eat mac and cheese (home made) every day if I let them.  But I don't.  Why? because they are young and don't know what they NEED - they only know what they WANT. 
When they are 2, sure all they want to eat is pizza, chicken fingers, etc.  Of course it's EASY to give in and it's HARD to say no and stick to your guns.  I recall a 45 minute fight with Boo over eating carrots.  The result, he eat his carrots and he continues to eat them regularly.  He doesn't do that with every thing he has to eat which it totally fine.

I also let them have a say in what they eat.  I will offer them a choice, like  do you want peas or broccoli.  And then they have some control.  They like little things like that. 

This was inspired by a parent I know who recently gave their kid a mayo sandwich on white bread for lunch.  First of all, white bread has almost zero nutrition  and Mayo is NOT a good group.  it is a condiment.  "well...he'll just pick the mean off if I give it to him....."  yeah - if you LET him.  By letting him you're telling him that it's OK.  I know people who like to eat the parts of their sandwich separately.  they will eat the bread, then the cheese, the lettuce and the meat all separately.  That's different.

I guess my point is that if you let your kids pick over their food, you will have picky eaters.  Letting them get away with not eating their veggies, or picking everything apart and only eating what they want is just poor parenting.