why we don't let preschoolers meal plan

Dinner last night:

• roasted potatoes (good, but a little mushy and M didn't like that I left the peel on)
• Roasted chicken parm (she liked it last week, but not tonight)
• blanched plus a little sugar snap peas

I also put a small bowl of raw peas on the table, a trick I often do. Put some of the veggie you are cooking out raw- more choices for the kiddos and you never know what will float their little boats. (M prefers raw to cooked brussel sprouts-at least she used to-who knows now!)

After dinner, M lamented, "I just want something like a decent meal, like macaroni and cheese..." With a big sigh. D and I chuckled, but I know not to take it personally.

Moms (usually) tell me how upsetting it is when they work hard to make a nice meal and their children complain. Alas, you just have to get over this one. You did your job with feeding when you put the meal on the table. Whether the kids eat it or not is up to them.

You see, young children are tiny, irrational beings. They like something one day, hate it the next, especially if it gets a satisfying reaction from you. Cooking to please your child's tastes is a futile exercise, because it changes from moment to moment. Cook what you want to eat (make adjustments-I peeled her potatoes which she ate with ketchup) don't short order cook or worry if they eat little at some meals and lots others.

Here is what M would eat if she could meal plan:

Stir fry (She wondered if you could make it with marshmallows last week)

mac n cheese

turkey curry

carrots

ice cream

white rice (she complains when I make brown-but I still make it)

What might a week at your house look like if your toddler meal-planned???