cure for the picky eater

A conversation between the radio hosts on a local station this morning provided me with fodder for today’s blog post.   I was chuckling as the female DJ was mentioning a drawn- out dinner the previous evening with her child.  Apparently, she had prepared something of a treat but he was picky.   As a parent she was not giving in to the child’s will.   How many parents can relate ?

I’m a big eater in terms that l love flavor, but I don’t like to eat a lot of one thing. I like to eat a little bit. Guy Fieri (brainyquote.com)

I fortunately am long past that stage with our adult children, although we did go through a period of time that dinner was served at time t , but the teen in question only would eat at Time t + 3 ( I’m an engineer: my apologies).    Little did I know that this young adult was eating us out of house and home, 5 times a day; this year our grocery bill has drastically reduced.

Dexter and Comet are my fussy kids now.  Or rather, Dexter is no longer fussy .   Comet never has been.  For several years  Dexter picked at his food,  preferring a dog biscuit or   leftover people food mixed into his dog food before consuming it.

There are adults – I am probably in this category- who were clean-your-plate childhood eaters;  some are military-trained agitated inhalation eaters (me too) ;  others are stress eaters (I plead the Fifth).   And apparently, I have two dogs who have traits of each.

Comet eats frequently as if he has not eaten in days or weeks.  Sometimes  he coughs it back up.  He associates my wife’s sleepless wander out to the kitchen as an opportunity for a late night snack.  From the first month, Comet took advantage of Dexter’s finicky eating habit to first inhale his own bowl, then cross the room and “impose” himself on Dexter’s bowl.

I have been chaperoning Dexter at his food bowl for weeks.  I had to step in.  Now I referee meals.   I notice that Dexter has been sucking his meals at a much more accelerated pace.   Where the vet once advised that I put about 10 pounds on Comet and perhaps reduce Dexter 10 pounds, I think the whole household needs to diet 20 pounds.

As for the parents on that radio show?   Give the finicky eater a big brother to “help” him.  And don’t refill the plate.  I don’t think finicky will last that long.  Need help?  Comet volunteers.