Fussy eaters don’t need my ‘respect’ or ‘empathy’
According to one of the doctors involved in a wide-ranging new study on the eating habits of the under-10s, the answer to fussy eaters is “positive parenting”. Which sounds frightfully wise, until you either have a child, or look up a term that’s defined as “taking an approach that’s sensitive to children’s individual needs” and “addressing the challenges that arise with empathy and respect”.
As far as child-rearing sciences go, positive parenting sounds like it’s up there with “yes days” – a US import where, for one day a month, parents must say yes to everything a child asks for – and therefore utter codswallop.
I don’t care what researchers at the universities of Southern California, South Australia and Queensland discovered in the 80 studies analysed in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health: I am never going to show a child who turns their nose up at vegetables, specific colours, smells or textures either empathy or respect. And although I agree that “regular mealtimes and eating as a family” are clearly beneficial, I can’t see how a plate of hot food can be construed as “a challenge”.
If there is any fussiness, however, I find “well, that’s all you’re having” tends to do the trick.