When I think of the holiday seasons coming up, I think of the best part of celebrating with friends and family. THE FOOD!
I think of buttery mashed potatoes, my mom’s spicy, cajun turkey and creamy egg nog. But what if your kids are picky eaters? That can cause so much stress at family functions.
Our daughters are autistic. And while my youngest daughter will basically eat anything, my oldest is the complete opposite. Trying new foods is really tough for her, and so are Thanksgiving and Christmas meals.
For our daughter, Opal, eating the same things over and over again gives her a sense of comfort. When she is shown new foods, it can be extremely overwhelming for her. She struggles with colors, textures, and smells.
Why is that a big deal? Well, we’ve learned to accept that it isn’t. But it’s hard to go to a family gathering and make all the food you agreed to bring, PLUS your kids’ separate foods. It’s hard when a family member asks why they can’t just eat the food everyone else is eating. And my least favorite phrase is, “If they’re hungry, they’ll eat it.”
In our case, Opal wouldn’t eat at all. Things have to be the right temperatures, the right sizes, the right brands. It’s a big struggle she has worked on for her entire five years of life. It’s not easy for her just to “eat when she’s hungry.” Because, she honestly wouldn’t.
I’m here to say that it’s okay if your child doesn’t like the turkey or the mashed potatoes or the stuffing. It’s okay to bring the foods they feel safe eating. It’s okay to do whatever your family needs to. If bringing a bag of chicken nuggets for my kids means they won’t fall apart at dinner and they can quickly move on to opening Christmas presents, then that’s exactly what I’m going to bring!
Bring the lunchables. Bring the apple juice. It’s okay not to force your child to eat something, especially during holidays that are supposed to be fun!
If my child’s holiday meal consists of chicken nuggets, Doritos and some mac and cheese, that sounds like a good dinner to me!
