On "Kid Food"

Hubs and I went to a wedding recently and I was smacked right in the face with a horrific reality. One of the servers for the reception came up to me and told me about the kids plate they had and wondered if I wanted one for my 17 mo. old. She described chicken strips, french fries, and a strawberry and asked if it was too much for him. I told her that he didn't need it at all and that he'd eat off of my plate and then for some unknown reason the escaped me at first, I was smacked with the realization that that was what they would present my three year old as well. I started fuming. Silently, though. I didn't want to cause a scene and I was remorseful that I didn't stop the server before she left and requested that my three year old get a different plate. I begrudgingly sat there next to my child who munched happily on his french fries while my gut was churning and my 17 mo. old begged me to pass along some fries, which I did, but just a few to hold him over until the "adult meals" were served.

I'm wondering if I'm alone here. Certainly not among the group of moms that I hang with on a regular basis, but I'm really wondering if we are in the minority. Why is it that people think that kids have to eat fried finger foods. I mean, seriously, look at this kid plate. Two chicken strips - breaded and fried - huge helping of french fries, and one strawberry. The only healthy item on that plate was the strawberry. Kudos to my kid for eating that first. Despite my attempts to get my kiddo to sample my salad and then my spinach stuffed chicken, he happily ate his helping of deep fried, fattening, artery clogging "food." Well, yeah, of course he prefers that, but had he been presented a plate with actually food on it, he'd eat that too. Is it really too much to ask for one of the adult dinners in kid-sized portions? There were three entrees offered, one fish, one steak, and one chicken. All the plates had mashed potatoes, asparagus, carrots, and a slice of zucchini. How on earth is that such a horrible thing? I consider carrots very kid friendly. Mashed potatoes are too. Ok, yeah, the mashed potatoes are mostly starch, but they had the skins and they weren't deep fried, so I'll take that over the fries for my kid.

The same issue is found on kids menus at restaurants. Nuggets, fries, mac 'n' cheese... Ugh! It really is sickening. In a country where obesity is an epidemic, we aren't doing our kids any favors. I hate the concept of "kid food." Sure, they like it. Sure, they prefer it over many healthier options. That being said, if we start them out right, with a variety of foods, they will eat a variety of foods. We can't feed into anxieties of whether or not they might like certain things. They'll pick up on that. For the most part, we control the food. That means give them what is good for them. If they don't eat it, fine, but don't give them a cookie instead. Kids will learn that they need to eat what is presented. My kids go through phases where they won't eat certain veggies, and that's fine. That doesn't mean I stop serving those veggies. Eventually, they may start eating them again. I want them to have that exposure, so it's normal.

Certainly, this one meal isn't the end of the world. My kids have had fries before and likely will in the future. I just wish I would have known. I wish I would have asked, or chosen one of the adult platters for my three year old. I didn't think about it, and that was my fault. I just really wish we could see a change in the world when it comes to this. Veggies don't need to be hidden, fried foods don't need to be the norm. And for heaven's sake, make the kids menu kid sized portions, not junk food. Please?