There is one question that, if you are a mom, you will hear thousands of times in your life. If you have more than one child living in your house, raise that number exponentially by the number of kids you have still at home. Age doesn’t seem to matter, as kids just entering kindergarten, kids on break from college, as well as adult children coming home from a visit are sure to be asking this very question. For the yet initiated to all things kids, let me clue you in.
That question is “What’s for dinner?”
In the lives of the average child, this age-old question is one of the most important ones of the day. Yes, you read it right, it’s an age-old question. I can imagine in a smoke-filled cave a beetle-browed youngster asking that question of his cavewoman mom, and her answering. “We are having palm-frond salad and Pterodactyl surprise.” To which the cave child would quickly ask. “Can I eat at Og’s cave? His mom is fixing Mastadon pizza.”
Or consider the tents of the wandering Children of Israel, where little Hebrew kids would get the answer “Manna.” To their question of “What’s for dinner?” Of course, their response would be “Aw man! Again? I hate Manna!” This line of reasoning amongst kids from the beginning of time, has yet to change.
Children don’t seem to understand that moms are attempting to provide two things for their kids: a nutritious meal to end the day, and food that will appeal to at least one palate in the house.
If my household is any example, appeasing personal taste in food is a major challenge. One hates lima beans, the other loathes chicken. All three of mine hated fish unless it came in the shape of a stick, with the exception of shrimp or my tuna casserole, which they only would eat under duress or the promise of a really good dessert. The youngest went through a phase when she was about three that the only tomato product she would eat was ketchup. I discovered her abhorrence to spaghetti sauce at a buffet-style restaurant. I fixed her little plate, set it before her and cringed in horror at her screams of “I hate sauce! I hate sauce!” The fact that she had willingly eaten spaghetti sauce just a few weeks prior simply didn’t matter, she hated it now, and continued to hate tomato sauces for two solid years.
Trying to plan meals for my family was a challenge enough when they were younger. I gathered a collection of cookbooks and recipes to try to make dinnertime enjoyable by all. I admit I am an average, yet unimaginative cook — I’m no Rachel Ray. However I tried to provide variety and sound nutrition when making dinner. I do a few things well, several things average, and some even I won’t eat after preparing it.
I suspect that even the greatest chefs in the world have had the same issues at pleasing their children at mealtime as I have. At least I’m not alone in that.
However, my kids easily survived and even thrived on my culinary offerings. Now that they are older, I have mostly given up on cooking dinner on a regular basis. This is partially because I now work full time, but it is more because there is a good chance that I will be the only one eating what I prepare. If my daughters don’t like my dinner choice, they make other plans. As my son is 1100 miles away in Texas and my husband is likely on the road, the only person I really usually cook for is me. It’s a good thing that I like leftovers.
Sylvie Galloway is a Spartanburg-based writer and blogger. You can read more of her work at Sylvie is a blogger.
Sylvie Galloway
mom, hairdresser, writer, who is trying to stay one step ahead of marauding dust bunnies.
