Food Fights!!!! Children, Picky Eating and Discipleship

Food Fight!!

Not the kind that go on in a school cafeteria.

But rather the kind that might go on around you dinner table every meal time.

Here is an article I recent read about picky eaters.

Enjoy reading this brief summary
Then click on the link for the original post and enjoy your next meal time!!

Over at the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) blog, Dr. Justin Smith writes about toddlers and picky eating. Though it may not seem at first glance that such a topic is worthy of theological reflection, Smith does an excellent job breaking down the issue in order to help parents analyze this behavior. He observes:

So, what do you do with your picky eater? I think you pick one of the three strategies and go with it. Don’t fret over what everyone else will think or if you are doing the right thing. The strategy is not the important part. The main goal is avoid turning mealtimes into a battle ground. Yelling and screaming probably will not encourage your child to eat, and in the long run, might backfire. Fortunately, we have a God that doesn’t bully us into trusting Him. He comes alongside us and acts trustworthy (Psa 111:7). He doesn’t force us to give up control, but he shows us that in doing so, we will actually be more at peace (Isa 26:3).

Smith outlines three strategies that parents can employ in encouraging their children to assume desired eating habits. What’s most helpful here is the practical and biblical foundation Smith lays down in order for parents to stand upon. Encouraging your child against picky eating shouldn’t be seen a battle to be fought and won, but a journey to love and rear a child in the love of God. Smith concludes:

At this age, you are setting the framework for how you and your child will interact for years to come. I think it’s a great time to establish a relationship of trust and love despite the stress involved. Having trouble? Look to the example of how your Father loves you through your picky tendencies, eating included.

For more on picky eating and toddlers, see Justin Smith’s post at the ERLC bloghere.

Here is the post http://www.sbts.edu/family/blog/children-and-picky-eating/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=children-and-picky-eating