forcing kids to eat........................

Yes. Kids eat when they are hungry. Talk to your pediatrician. He might even talk or write to your husband regarding the extreme obecity issue with todays children. I had a son who ate almost nothing for almost two years. It was, as you say, the subject of many fights with my ex. I did not have mylot of anyone else to turn to, so I turned to my Ped. He told my husband in no uncertain terms that he was interfering with the health of my son and to stop mentally and physically abusing him. To force a child to eat is both. Mental abuse as they're being made to believe that they are doing something wrong. Physical abuse in that they are not hungry, so forcing them to eat is overfilling them. I agree that if they just don't want what is in front of them and are hungry they shoul have to eat what is served and get to have something different. But a child knows when they need food. They will not starve themselves. Good luck. God bless.

I dont force my kids to eat, but I let them make their plates and that started when they were about 5 or 6. If they didnt finish that was fine, but if we had desert, they didnt get any, and when evening snack time came around they didnt get that either if they didnt eat their meal. My dad was the same way and I didnt get a spanking but I couldnt leave the table, I fell asleep at that table many times and I didnt want to do that to my kids. I found if they put small portions even if it was something they didnt like if they knew there was a good desert or snack later they would clean their plates.

I have always been a picky person. Especially as a child. My step dad made me eat everything on my plate, when me and my brother went to his house. If I did not eat it, I would have to sit at the table for a long time. If I still hadnt eaten my food, I would have to eat it for breakfast. I dont think this is a good approach to getting your children to eat. I think you are correct in saying kids will eat when they are hungry. I can remember things like this from when I was Five! Can you imagine what your kids will remember? Will it be good or bad memories of food? You never know what kind of effect this has on children. I think it is important for children to be introduce to new foods. I think the rule should be, try at least one bite. If you are still not hungry, or if you dont like it, then you dont have to eat it. This approach enables your children to be exposed to healthy and new foods, but they are not forced to eat when they dont want to. One bite cant hurt. Talk to your husband, before the situation arises, so it can be discussed in a calm manner. Good luck. Your kids are very important, keep them happy when you can. (as well as full)

No we just let them eat as much or as little as they want. I used to be bad for trying to force my firstborn into eating everything that I put on his plate, and then when I had my second child he was even more poor at eating than my first born, and again mealtimes used to be miserable and just a complete battleground. But I have learnt as time has gone on that children will eat when they are hungry, they will never starve! Now I make the foods that I know they will like and I only ever put enough on their plate, I never overload it. Too much food on a childs plate puts them off from the start, but just little portions and mine will clear their plates. Mealtimes are such a happy time now and it makes such a big difference.

I never forced my kids to eat as I knew they would eat when they got hungry. Mydad did that to me;' I was forced to sit at the table until I finished a halfof a very sour grapefruit which I never did finish my mom snuck it out and put a empty half on myplate my dad had a fit but hequit trying to force me to eat grapefruit and to this date I test yellow grapefruit.

As was done to me as a child, so I enstalled in my own child. You eat your veggies first then if there is starch and finally your meat. We were MADE to eat a certain amount of the meal on our plate. That was measured as such: Make the child make a tight fist and put it over the veggies first..what he/she can see passed the fist is what the child may leave. The same went for the starch and meat. Eventually no measuring was done and most of the food was just eaten. Another thing is to take note of is it will take a child at least 10 attempts at a certain food to acquire the taste of it e.g. the dreaded brussel sprouts and broccoli!

I think forcing kids to eats is stupid. Not only could it be traumatic for these kids, but it could lead to eating problems in the future. My parents never forced me to 'clean my plate', though when I was growing up my mom teased me at least once for putting too much on my plate at one time. She said my eyes were bigger than my stomach. LOL I try not to do that now, but have caught myself a few times when I think I am more hungry than I really am. As for my own kids, once they are full they are done. Neither my husband or I get upset if they didn't finish their meal. We don't want to force our kids to eat and when they are get hungry again they will let us know.

I think it's awful. it makes eating traumatic, and can cause eating disorders. my mum developed bulimia from being forced to eat as a child. not a weight issue, but reclaiming control over what went into her body. the thing is, as adults you would never force someone to eat everything on their plate, even if it makes them feel sick. I know if I was forced to eat fatty bits off the edge of a peice of meat, I would be sick. if any person forced me to eat it, that would be considered abuse. I accept that it's hard to get children to eat what is healthy for them, but they won't starve themselves. if they don't like cabbage, try carrots. if they don't like carrots, try broccoli. try serving the veg raw, so it's sweeter (and healthier too) but don't force children to eat everything on their plate, it's just abusive, and causes issues with food.

In fact it's good to teach children not to waste the food. But forcing seems to be unsuitable method. I think we all have something we don't like to eat, even if we are adults now. My child doesn't like eating vegetables at all. And he just doesn't like it, and forcing will only make the situation worse. Now I make mashed potato and he loves it. So when we ask our children to finish the food, we shall be nice. If they can't eat so much, then don't give them a lot in their plates. Today we don't have to worry that they will be hungry. Today's children are just so lucky.

I dont like the idea of forcing my children to eat, even at times it really irks me. I tend to think that we dont like being forced to eat something we dont like. Kids are nt gong to like all foods, I hate the idea of forcing my kids to eat something if they really hate the taste of it. I also believe they will eat if they are hungry , they wont let themselves starve.

I was never forced to eat when I was growing up. I think that's a terrible thing to do to a child. If they are hungry, they will eat. I got really skinny when I was about 8 or so, and my Dad would offer to make me something different to eat, but he never forced me to eat more than I wanted to. I had a friend whose Mother forced her to eat everything on her plate. Even in her 50's she cried thinking about it. I would just have a long talk with him, but not at mealtime! And not when your child is around to hear!

I don't have kids yet, but forcing them to eat is not good in my opinion. Good parents should be understanding and hence forcing their children in any thing would not be wise, I guess. Whatever you are doing to you kids, you are doing best sassysammy81.

I cant remember where it was exactly but I do remember listening to a feature on children and their eating habits. It was pointed out to parents that they should not force children to eat because they tend to listen to their stomachs. It was also said that when we force them to eat we cause them to lose trust in their own eating instincts. I was very to have heard that feature as we employed it in the upbringing of my nephew. Now that child is a very picky eater. There are times when he just seem to really love a certain food or fruit and then a next time he just doesnt want it and we would have bought excess. A little pressure is necessary at times when the reason for not eating much is because of play etc... but really for the most part it is not. Even as adults our bodies speak to us telling us when we do not need more but as you mentioned in your experience, as children we learnt to shut out that voice and just eat for the sake of getting rid of some food. There are days when I'll say to my nephew, before I give you anything else to eat you will have to show me where all that food you ate before went. We make fun of it and he enjoys that. Some times his appetite just opens up and there are days when a lot of juice is prefered to food. He is now six years old and eats more but the eating trend has not changed. He also enjoys doing things for himself such as mixing drink, stripping the shell from his egg and dictating to me how to season the meat *smile). Its really not necessary to force children to eat and my nephew taught me that without a doubt. (lol)

okay the worse thing you can do is force a kid to finish their plate or force them to eat its a proven fact it cause obesity because a kid will eat when they are hungry just as we do. why people do that i don't know if they don't eat all their food and you can't afford a lot of food just put the left overs in the refidgerator its as easy as that.

I was a little picky, but if my mother and grandmother told me to do something, I did it. My brother had to eat at least five meals per day, he had Type 1 Diabetes and he had no choice but to eat when he had to. My brother's Diabetes was so bad that he could go into a coma in his sleep if he did not have those five meals.

forcing a kid to eat every thing on their plat is looking for a disaster with future eating habits. Your daughter at 6 should be able to fix her own plat and should at least sit at the table when the rest of you eat. You could have her take at least a teaspoon of what your having. Eating is the one thing that kids of that age can control. It may be her way of taking that control. so let her chose what she wants to eat. Compromise.

when i was younger i always had to eat everything on my plate and i always had to eat things i didn't like. my step dad would give me a spoonful of the one thing i didn't like and say just eat that much you could learn to like it. even though it's something i had to eat for 10 years he said that every time and i never liked it. i hated it so much it would make me gag and through up and i still had to eat it. that used to drive me nuts cuase my mom always put cucumbers out on the table every meal and my step dad hated cucumbers but he didn't have to try some to see if he'd eventually learn to like it. lol so that was a double standard for me. i figure with my daughter if she tries it once and doesn't like it i don't force her to eat it,. and sometimes i get full before finishing my plate so i'm not going to force her to eat. however if she does just say she's full of super to get a snack later on then that doesn't work cause i'll just keep her super for her so she's not actually getting away with getting just treats and no supper