It’s the scene that plays out in almost every household with young children: food is lovingly prepared and then immediately rejected.
One frustrated mother has shared how she “lost it” one evening after her two young sons refused to eat the lasagna she spent hours preparing.
The story posted to parenting forum Mumsnet, went on to describe how the mum was now wracked with guilt about whether she’d traumatised her children.
“I just LOST it at my kids,” she wrote.
“I spent ages today making a homemade lasagne. I am a crap cook and was really proud of it. [Her son] took one look at it and said he didn’t like it.”
“Finally agreed to try a bit and then made a face like he was going to vomit and spat it on to his plate.”
The mother explained how her second child copied this response after watching the behaviour of their brother.
"Claimed not to like it and swept his bowl on to the ground before I could stop him. Whole thing splattered all across the floor," she wrote.
"I literally screamed like a mad woman."
The sudden explosion was met with tears and one child fleeing the kitchen. And although both were soon soothed by cuddles and television, the mother still worried she had done permanent damage.
"I'm convinced I must have traumatised them in some way," she wrote.
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Fellow parents on the forum weighed in on the situation with opinions drawn from their own experiences.
"This was kind of me the other week, I made a homemade lasagne with homemade pasta and a homemade garlic bread and a lovely salad. I was sooooo proud. As I was plating it up [her son] came in and said I don't want that before even trying," one user wrote.
"I'm not saying it's the right thing to do - but we all lose it sometimes," another user wrote.
One user said cooking such elaborate meals for young children can often result in rejection and the inevitable frustration that follows.
"To be honest, it's not always worth it to spend hours making something for young children, if they're not keen on new tastes. You put so much effort in and when it's rejected it's inevitable you take it as a personal affront," they wrote.
The mother later commented that she felt better and could see how she could see the funny side but "only slightly".
Top Comments
Oh gosh, I never would have dreamed about behaving like that as a kid! We were never fussy eaters, but I think that came from being given the same meals as our parents at a really young age. Also, if you didn't finish your dinner you went straight to bed, so we just got on with it. I remember only once having something so awful I couldn't finish it (a cream of celery soup..!) but then my mum tried it to, and agreed it was inedible.
But it's more than catering to fussy eaters. It's about kids being respectful of the fact that someone else has put the time and effort into preparing something for them.
I thought everyone likes lasagna!
I am so happy i don't have a fussy child when it comes to food. He has his favourites but he eats everything. It makes life so easy and i love to cook and try new recipes which i can do all the time knowing he will happily eat it.
I don't know how some families cope when their kids don't like a lot of foods.