"Kids are natural picky eaters..."
Or so they say. But I do believe that we can do something about it.
I recall a family tradition that we had when my sisters and I were growing up. Our greatest commandment, so to speak, on our dining table is "whatever food (particularly, any viand) is on the table, you have to eat it."
This has been a strict rule in our house and our grandmother and mother implemented this by cooking just one viand every meal. We only get to have a feast on special occasions and when we were invited to parties. This method has trained us to have a taste, if not eat entirely, any food and not be picky.
I have encountered many parents having difficulty feeding their children, to the point that some give up and feed the child with whatever the child likes. They give up because they fear that their child will lose weight and all, among other reasons. Please don't get me wrong, for I don't have any intentions to antagonize any parents, especially the many mothers who are hands-on in taking care of their children. My daughter likes chicken and rice, every time you ask her what she likes to eat, she will answer you with "chicken and rice." But we don't always feed her with chicken and rice.
Parents should know better, and children should not be the one dictating to their parents. Our method of discipline with our kids today have become child-centered. It's the parents who follow the whims of the children, and not the children following the wisdom and guidance of their parents.
Children are not natural picky eaters. But we allow them to be one.
Children will definitely have a different perspective on how they will value things.
Early this morning, I saw my daughter playing with an app on my wife's phone. As she was playing, I heard sounds that made me realize that she was "purchasing" things in the app using the game's virtual coins. She developed a habit of buying things that are not necessary or needed at that time, just so happens that she had accumulated a lot of coins through the in-app games.
Then, it dawned on me: She does not understand the real value of money yet, and this game distorts their minds about money in two ways. One, it leads them to think that once they have the money they can do whatever they want with it - to the point of using every single one of them in one sitting. And two, they can acquire money easily. The phrase "hard-earned money" doesn't ring a bell to them.
Because of today's technology, children will definitely have a different perspective on how they will value things. But not if we do something about it. As parents, we should not let the responsibility of teaching our kids things about life rest on the shoulders of technology. Sit down with your children and teach them the right stuff.
Also play with them, as much as you can.
Discipline is necessary to raise godly kids. But sometimes parents tend to do this in excess to the point that we exasperate our kids in the process. Most of the time, they're just acting like kids, and parents need to think like them to better understand and raise them properly.
"Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord." - Ephesians 6:4 [ESV]
