Using the gentle force

These days it is not socially acceptable that you force your kids to eat their food. Well, you know what, I kind of skipped that holy parenting rule. Particularly after seeing my parents-in-law using their "gentle touch" on getting our kids to eat whatever was being served.

Let me spell it out: in our family it is not ok to say, "mom I don't like it and I won't eat it, instead I skip dinner and ask for something else in five minutes". Neither is it acceptable to say, "yak mom that looks disgusting, I won't eat that". It still happens. We get those reactions all the time. But we do not accept them. We use the gentle force to make our kids eat what is served "voluntarily". And it works, almost every time.

Today Kidtwo had doubles of beetroot salad with cucumbers and smoked herring. Kidone was more suspicious but she still ate her five spoons (and a little bit more).

For me it is a myth that you cannot gently force your kids to eat the food. They need to try, or else, how will they ever learn to appreciate new food experiences?

A take of this weekend food offering at our house:

Local fresh fish, typical Saturday lunch at our house.

Eco beef stew with the best of the winter: oven baked locally grown roots (with olive oil, honey and thyme).

Beetroot smoked herring and cucumber salad.