Getting kids to eat properly is a battle

Braden, my 3-year-old son, has a hard time eating at the dinner table.
Most evenings, my wife or I make a healthy meal and as a family we eat it together at the dinner table. Well, at least we attempt to, since Braden does everything at the table except eat.
He plays, he sings, he talks, he cries, he whines, he stalls, he harasses our cats and he does anything to distract us from the fact he’s not eating his food.
Some nights he eats, when he likes the food, but most nights he wants nothing to do with the what’s on his plate because it’s not a hot dog, peanut-butter sandwich, cookies or popcorn, all of which are his favorite foods.
The other night we had spaghetti, except we had to use macaroni because we started making the meal not knowing we were out of spaghetti noodles. I thought Braden would eat this meal, because when he asked earlier in the day what we were going to have for supper I told him spaghetti, and he responded with an emphatic “Ooooh, I like spaghetti.” And using macaroni should have clinched him eating, since he usually eats macaroni and cheese.
But come supper time he gave us his usual routine. He drank all of his milk quickly, and then ate the sides he likes, in this case garlic bread. By this time Jenny and I were done with our meal. We stayed at the table, mainly because we believe it’s important to eat together as a family, and encouraged him to eat his spaghetti.
“I want a treat,” he demanded.
“You have to finish all your food if you want one,” we responded, as we always do every night when he makes this demand. “Treats are for good boys who eat nicely.”
“But I am eating nicely,” he said, somehow thinking we’ll actually believe him.
This type of dialogue usually continues for about 15 minutes then, with him eating a bite here and there in an attempt to appease us. It doesn’t fool us, though, and we make him finish most of his food or allow him to leave the table without the possibility of a treat later.
Jenny and I make sure we don’t give him portions that are too large, and we don’t make him eat food he obviously dislikes. We know the importance of a balanced meal, and since this is the only one of the day we all can eat together, we know this is the only opportunity we have to get him to eat right.
My parents and grandparents were the same way, except they told me I wouldn’t grow hair on my chest if I didn’t eat all my food. I believed them, and now I’ve got hair on my chest and I’m not impressed. It doesn’t seem to serve any useful purpose, and it slows my swimming speed.
I was also required to eat some foods I couldn’t stand – liver, peas, beets and pork chops. My gag reflexes went crazy when I had to eat these foods, and to this day I don’t understand why I was made to eat foods I almost literally couldn’t swallow. I’m thankful I’m an adult now and don’t have to eat these foods, although I’ll eat pork chops if they are cooked a certain way and I’ll eat peas if they are in a dish and not alone.
Our hope is Braden will come to like a good variety of healthy foods, and not just sweets and foods cooked in grease. But the battle to do this is tiring, and some nights it seems we’re losing. When he didn’t eat most of his spaghetti, I put his plate in the microwave and told him he could finish it if he gets hungry. He tried asking for a treat later, and when I said he could finish his spaghetti, he cried for a little bit and went back to playing with his toys, not allowing me to get the satisfaction of knowing I had won the battle.
He’s like me in his stubbornness. He would rather suffer a little hunger than admit he was wrong. I would like a remedy to this, but so would Jenny. Because then she could take care of one of her biggest headaches – my stubbornness.
Maybe kids aren’t meant to be good eaters. Maybe they have to discover for themselves there are plenty of good foods that aren’t sweet or greasy. But then again, if we don’t get them to try new things, they probably never would.