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Teens who only like turkey, no veggies/sm

Posted: Nov 19, 2012

I have been preparing for weeks for Thanksgiving. Have 4 teenaged grandkids who will only try the turkey. They usually only like mac and cheese or pizza. Should I include a homemade version of mac and cheese with my meal? There is no way I will go with the packaged stuff they usually eat. It's either that or to see them with a little turkey only on their plates. Hopefully they will change over the years. My menu includes turkey, stuffing and all the veggies one could imagine for the grownups but these kids! What is your menu like?

;

Teens and turkey - not worth it

[ In Reply To ..]
Why would you make such a big deal out of one meal during a holiday? Personally, I'd make sure I had my grandkids favorite mac and cheese ready for them to make along with a frozen pizza for them to make. I love my grandchildren and I'm not in charge of their diet I'm in charge of spoiling them. If mac and cheese is what they like, mac and cheese will be available for them to make (since they are teens).

As for your question, we are having vegetable lasagne, turkey, whipped potatoes, sweet potatoes (with marshmallows) broccoli with yellow peppers, orange crush jello salad, deviled eggs, pickle tray, blueberry pie, peach pie, pumpkin fluff with cinnamon graham crakers.

Parent of 4 teens - Ayn

[ In Reply To ..]
While I understand the desire of grandparents to "spoil" their grandkids and treat them when they (most likely) do not seem them often -- as the parent of 4 picky teen eaters here is my response:

I have taught my kids (1) you eat what is prepared/set in front of you or you go hungry and (2) when visiting/attending family functions or holidays -- you are gracious and you eat what was lovingly prepared for you, you don't pick at it, you EAT it whether it's your favorite or not. You are polite and you eat some of what is put in front of you. If we have to stop later on the way home for a burger, okay, but you do not grumble or refuse the meal prepared.

I say if you want to/choose to prepare something special for the picky eaters, that is your choice, but you should not feel obligated to do so and should certainly not lose sleep over it.

Enjoy the time with your family and forget about watching who eats what or how much!

Eating what's in front of you - tl

[ In Reply To ..]
How refreshing to see a parent teach their kids to respect others' efforts! Kids nowadays are far too catered to. However, autistic kids can be difficult to feed because of their aversion to certain textures My grandson is autistic and rejects a lot of foods but my daughter discovered he will eat vegetables if dipped in Ranch dressing.

My kids will eat pretty much anything - someone sets in front of them,

[ In Reply To ..]
if we are guests in someone else's home because they know that the consequences will be tough, if they don't. If we are at home, they will barely eat anything. I do not cool special meals. If they are hungry, they can eat whatever I cooked, but I do not force them to eat. They haven't starved yet, so I guess it'll all work out. ;)

I would totally do homemade mac n cheese - what is wrong with that?

[ In Reply To ..]
Turkey and Mac N Cheese sounds delicious. It does not have to be a traditional turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing and veggie dinner... make it what works for all of you. Maybe do some cocktail weaners in bbq sauce or wrapped in crescent rolls for them also.

I wouldnt be so hard on them just because they are picky. They will outgrow that. I would rather make their memories of coming to your home nice memories instead of them wanting to leave to go grab burgers. That is just awful.

Be thankful you have grandkids and have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

mac & cheese - realist

[ In Reply To ..]
While the above mac & cheese sounds delicious, I wouldn't count on the persnickety grandkids liking it. It is as likely as not, they will hate it because it isn't what they are used to, as it tastes entirely different and it sounds like they don't eat what they are not used to eating. So be prepared to have your lovely dish spurned. I also would not expect them to "outgrow" their limited likes in food, they will probably go through life missing out. I can't help but wonder what your daughter/daughter-in-law was thinking bringing them up this way. Is she also a very picky eater who only eats a few foods? I think it important to expose your children from early toddlerhood to a wide variety of foods. I wouldn't force them to eat anything but I would not fix them anything else. (Wouldn't I make a horribly critical mother-in-law who always knows best?)

You are too funny... I have a mother in law like that - and she drives me batty

[ In Reply To ..]
I really hope you dont do that to your daughter in law. Its so hard...

It is - not a grandma yet

[ In Reply To ..]
When I was a new mom I went through in-law H E double toothpicks. Just recently found out thru my SIL they thought my son was a "hard baby" because I was a "nervous mom." He had colic and earaches (tubes x2) and Asperger's, which of course we didn't realize until years later and in retrospect explained a lot. He was supersensitive to any stimuli including mom trying to hold him, feeding into the nervous mom theory. I could have sworn I told them all this many times, but selective memory trumps.

BTW. he's 30 now. Doing quite well too!

All you can do is trust your mom instincts and love your kids. Don't let her get you down :-)

Picky eaters - Anonymous

[ In Reply To ..]
I usually don't like everything that's put on the table either. When the food is passed, people take what they like and leave the rest, that applies to children (adolescents) and adults. Personally, I see nothing wrong with eating only turkey. Maybe they learned that too many carbs make you drowsy and hungry again an hour after you eat. I wouldn't prepare special dishes for them unless you had already planned to do so, but I also wouldn't make a big deal out of it if turkey is all they want to eat.

you are horrible enough already - adoptive mom

[ In Reply To ..]
When my adopted child was abandoned by her parents, she stopped eating anything they had fed her because the pain she had was too great. The food triggered memories of them and she rejected those familiar foods in favor of foregoing the pain associated with the loss of her parents.

There are so many words jumbling around in my mind, wanting to give you a come to Jesus tongue lashing. I have to just hang up now.

But that is not the situation in this case, is it. Regular spoiled kids - here, not abused adopted kids. nm

[ In Reply To ..]
x

abused or just spoiled - every kid deserves a grandma

[ In Reply To ..]
who exhibits empathy and unconditional love...not an anti-grandma who oozes disdain for her grandkids.

agree, they won't like it. Do let us known if you do this. - I'd lay money on it. NM

[ In Reply To ..]
x

Mac and Cheese - Jolly MT

[ In Reply To ..]
Serve the traditional stuff and the mac & cheese and/or pizza. Just be thankful you've lived to know your grandkids. They'll remember what you did you for them in a much better way that if you try to hold to tradition. Just make 'em happy!

cater to them, they will never learn to try. Make your meal - and let them do PBJ. sm

[ In Reply To ..]
If they only like box mac'n'cheese - the WILL NOT LIKE HOMEMADE, my grown daughter is like this when it comes to home cookin' and that was my fault. Don't bother.

You have to quit catering to this behavoir, let them be hungry. Why on earth would you cook separately for them? They will never learn that way. How unappreciative of all you are doing out of love and respect for holiday traditions! Someone started that way back in their toddler age, it won't stop until you do.

They don't like your wonderful meal...tuff. I'd say, "That thing over there ----> ...that's the frig. Go for it."

That, or just slop some Ragu and mozerella on top of everything (their plates) and call it pizza.

I have 1 veggie lover and 1 veggie hater... Sm - Old Woman

[ In Reply To ..]
and they are free to pick and choose from what is available on the table. My veggie hater has learned to eat a few veggies over the years. One thing he does love is green bean bundles. I make bundles of 5 or 6 canned uncut whole green beans with a half strip of bacon, put in a long casserole dish and cover with Catalina dressing or make my own dressing of butter, brown sugar, and soy sauce. Bake until the bacon is done at about 325.

As for my menu, we are a small family, so we are having roasted turkey breast, cornbread dressing, cranberry sauce, asparagus, brocolli cheese casserole, stuffed celery, rolls, sour cream fruit salad, Texas Pecan Cake, cherry cream cheese pie, and iced tea.

Breaking tradition this year - SAM

[ In Reply To ..]
My mom passed earlier in the year and, since my dad wasn't ever a huge turkey fan and in an attempt to change up his routine, this year I'm preparing an Italian feast for our Thanksgiving dinner. Lasagna with meat sauce, broccoli rabe, sausage and peppers, meatballs with marinara, minnestroni soup, and crusty bread, with tiramisu and Italian roast coffee for dessert.

Totally different from the usual traditional Thanksgiving dinner my parents served every year but it's so much fun to prepare it all and, the best part of all, my dad is actually excited about having a freshly-prepared Italian feast to dig into today.

I hope everyone, no matter how they celebrate the day, has a wonderful Thanksgiving.

OP answers - lost

[ In Reply To ..]
Thanksgiving was great. I did not have time or space for other than my menu and did not "supervise" what everyone ate. All I know is there was plenty of everything and there was a prayer of thanksgiving before the meal which was very nice and created by a grandchild. The day went well and everyone was full, so whatever they ate was homemade with love and I'm sure if they only ate the turkey they made up for it with dessert or hot rolls, etc. I was not the food police and there were no questions asked as to who ate what. "Thanks" was present to God and the cook and nobody was unhappy or disrespectful. Thanks for the "positive" posts. It was a privilege talking to you.

House Food Requirements - See Message

[ In Reply To ..]
I don't have kids, but I would not force them to eat anything, actually. Maybe to be polite at someone's house. But if it was my house, there would be a requirement. Taste it, if you don't like, you don't have to eat it again. But at least try it.

What REALLY bugs me is when someone says they don't like something they never even tried. You cannot say you don't like something when you haven't even put it up to your lips. One can say, "no, that texture will probably make me puke," but you can't say you don't like the taste unless you've tasted it.

Kids are people too and are entitled to their opionins, so force-feeding just gets you into a food war.

House Food Req. reminds me of a funny story - xray MT

[ In Reply To ..]
Our house food rule was that you had to TRY something once. (You don't have to eat anything.) So, a child who stayed with us for a vacation week protested this one time. I told her, Oh, come on, just touch it to your tongue once. So she probably made contact with 2 molecules of the stuff. Then she told her mom "They made me eat it!" Like WE ALL force-fed her! Her mom probably still believes we forced food down her.

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