You invite a family for dinner & are informed that their children...

[Amused]

I have 9 nieces and nephews and I admire how my brothers and sister raised them in this regard... the same way we were raised.

The rule is: Dinner is served, and the kitchen closed. If you don't like the food, tough sh!t.

It's hard to be picky when you're starving.

 

[jjones]

Originally posted by: Amused
I have 9 nieces and nephews and I admire how my brothers and sister raised them in this regard... the same way we were raised.

The rule is: Dinner is served, and the kitchen closed. If you don't like the food, tough sh!t.

It's hard to be picky when you're starving.

Yeah, that's generally how it runs in my family too, but I don't mind whipping up a quick grilled cheese, like KarenMarie does, or a hotdog or something similar we have in the fridge for the kids of a dinner guest if they don't like what they see on the table. It happens some times and it's no biggie, but we're not going to bend over backwards for the little rat either.

Edit: And most parents we know tell their kids that they are going to eat what's being served anyway, so the problem is really infrequent.

 

[Atomicus]

Originally posted by: Amused
I have 9 nieces and nephews and I admire how my brothers and sister raised them in this regard... the same way we were raised.

The rule is: Dinner is served, and the kitchen closed. If you don't like the food, tough sh!t.

It's hard to be picky when you're starving.

I've given money to bums who only eat 25cent bags of potato chips.... is that being picky?

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: Atomicus

Originally posted by: Amused
I have 9 nieces and nephews and I admire how my brothers and sister raised them in this regard... the same way we were raised.

The rule is: Dinner is served, and the kitchen closed. If you don't like the food, tough sh!t.

It's hard to be picky when you're starving.

I've given money to bums who only eat 25cent bags of potato chips.... is that being picky?

It's not their choice of food, it's the fact that you give bums money directly that makes me go

 

[Gurck]

I'd just respect their wishes. Much as you won't teach the finer points of calculus to a chimp, you won't teach manners or proper child-rearing to modern-day human beings, and so there's no sense getting angry about it.

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: jjones

Originally posted by: Amused
I have 9 nieces and nephews and I admire how my brothers and sister raised them in this regard... the same way we were raised.

The rule is: Dinner is served, and the kitchen closed. If you don't like the food, tough sh!t.

It's hard to be picky when you're starving.

Yeah, that's generally how it runs in my family too, but I don't mind whipping up a quick grilled cheese, like KarenMarie does, or a hotdog or something similar we have in the fridge for the kids of a dinner guest if they don't like what they see on the table. It happens some times and it's no biggie, but we're not going to bend over backwards for the little rat either.

Yeah, I can understand doing so for the occasional guest. But then there is the problem of your kids throwing that in your face. I wouldn't do it if I had kids at that age. Otherwise I would be a gracious host, I guess.

 

[Tal]

Originally posted by: db
I've run into this twice now, and it kinda p!sses me off.
I'd like opinions on how YOU would handle this.


My attitude is that unless you are allergic or have moral/religious restrictions, it's rude to expect someone to make custom meals for their picky-eater children.

My sister in law (she's 11, kinda a "Whoa, I thought you said you were on the..." kid) comes over to my house and is very picky. Her mom will make like steak and potatoes and good food and she'll have like a microwave Mac and Cheese meal. When she's at our house, we make her eat or she gets nothing later.

When it's at your house and parents are there, it's tough. It is SO VERY RUDE. Especially if the parents allow and even mention it. My parents taught me to eat everything or at least as much as I could and not to say crap. If they are filling their own plates they can just take very little and eat more crap at home.

I would probably in a sweet, condecending voice, say "Ohhhhh..... that's too bad, this is all we have. I guess they can just eat if they want or they can go play downstairs."

 

[Biggerhammer]

I have a 3-year-old son. If we're eating at a friend's house and he has an attack of picky, he gets bread and butter or some such. He tends to be courteous enough to just eat it and try to wheedle something better later, after we've left the house/restaurant/whatever.

I think it helps- a lot- that my wife and I both try new things. He sees this and he tries them too. The OP's friends are probably the cause of their picky kids.

Personally, if I invited friends over and got a long list of demands, I would put a sign at my front door saying 'you must be this tall to board this ride' and make sure that the line is higher than the kids' heights. (Maybe taller than the parents too)

 

[NesuD]

Originally posted by: gistech1978
i was a picky kid.
if that situation arose and it did.
my parents gave me two choices
i could eat it or go hungry.

That is the correct way to handle a picky kid! It is shameful these parents rather than handle a situation that is part of being a parent they instead lay it on you to alter your menu to accomodate the kiddies. I say prepare and serve exactly what you want as you like it not what the kiddies might find acceptable. Then you put the responsibilty back on the parents to deal with it.

 

[Brutuskend]

Personally I'd let their parents do the Mc Donald's run and get their kids what THEY want to get them. I wouldn't wait to eat until they got back either.

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: Brutuskend
Personally I'd let their parents do the Mc Donald's run and get their kids what THEY want to get them. I wouldn't wait to eat until they got back either.

Weak parents yeah...they are on there own. Parents are too busy trying to be friends and making their kids look good and think they are more important than anyone else.

I am not going to make a special meal for anyone unless there is a dietary need, and in that case it's only fair.

 

[NetworkDad]

Spoiled brats..eat or go hungry.

 

[DaiShan]

Proper etiquette would call for the invited couple to have taught their children well enough to eat a little of what they don't like to be polite, and just eat the rest of the stuff they do like, it is acceptable however for the child to not eat portions of the meal if they cannot stand taht particular food, however commenting on the food in a negative way is very rude. Also the parents should be grateful for being invited to dinner and should arrive with a gift (a bottle of wine is usually a very good choice) so in that instance it is permissable for the invitee to ask what will be served (so they can choose an appropriate wine) any person invited to my home for dinner is expected to behave appropriately, or they will not be invited back. Also it is commonly expected for the invitee to place a call within a few days after the meal thanking the hostess again for the evening, in the south a letter is expected for formal dinners or by more well to do families. Phew mom would be proud hahaha, BTW this is paraphrased from my old ettiquette book.

 

[DaiShan]

Originally posted by: Mwilding

Originally posted by: txxxx

My attitude is that unless you are allergic or have moral/religious restrictions, it's rude to expect someone to make custom meals for their picky-eater children.

Exactly. Im presuming what you make isnt going to kill them, so they should STFU and eat.

Do you have 3 kids between the age of 4 and 8?

didn't think so...

Your children WILL be well behaved and resonably polite (as much as can be expected for their age) or the evening will be cut short by the following "Well we very much enjoyed your company tonight, I hope you don't mind that we have to cut the evening short, I have an early meeting tomorrow and need to get some rest." and you will not be invited back, very simple, you teach your children to be polite, and follow common courtesy and we dont' have a problem.

And to CorporateRecreation: The point is not that they consider it rude that they don't eat the food, it is very rude however to ask the host to prepare a custom meal for their childrens likes and dislikes.

 

[DaiShan]

Originally posted by: db
This is in my home.
In one case they said I should get McDonalds, and in the other case I was given a long list of shoulds and shouldn'ts....

No, they should get McDonalds and tell you (in advance) that they're children will not be joining you for dinner, in the second case as you have already extended them an invitation to your home, you can't rescind, if you already had something planned you can tell the parents that is what you have planned and it will be served at 7 o'clock, if not, try to accomodate the list, and do NOT invite them back, that type of behavior is wholly unacceptable, and signals poor upbringing.

 

[Cobalt]

Originally posted by: waggy
Man my sisters kids are like that.

I hate haveing them over for family get togethers. whenever they come over my sister calles with a list on what they will and will not eat. Which i always ignore.

She say she will not eat cooked hotdogs or other bullcrap stuff like that. But when they stay the night they eat what i put in front of them. They never complain and always eat a lot.


My daughter eats EVERYTHING. I have yet to find anything she will not eat. her favorite snack is green olives or cheese. she also enjoye munching on green bell peppers. strange kid.

I think it has more to do whith what the parents eat and what they offer the child. I eat pretty much anything in front of me and so does my wife.

Olives and cheese? Are you Greek?

 

[homestarmy]

Originally posted by: Brutuskend
Personally I'd let their parents do the Mc Donald's run and get their kids what THEY want to get them. I wouldn't wait to eat until they got back either.

And they better eat that crap in the car. I don't want the brats smearing it all over the place.

 

[Darilus]

Originally posted by: gistech1978
i was a picky kid.
if that situation arose and it did.
my parents gave me two choices
i could eat it or go hungry.

This is the way I was raised, and I'm still a very, very picky eater. The difference is that now I do not expect people to accomodate my likes and dislikes. In fact, because my parents raised me this way, I never expected it when I was a kid either. When I'm eating at someone's house, I find things that I like, and eat those. If I don't get enough to fill me up, I eat something else after I leave. If someone was kind enough to invite you into their home for a meal, you have to be pretty rude to accept then make a list of demands.

 

[nuonce]

you presented an offer, they presented a counter-offer, so reject it and tell them to go eat at wendys.

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: db
This is in my home.
In one case they said I should get McDonalds, and in the other case I was given a long list of shoulds and shouldn'ts....

write them off,

IMHO that is rude and unacceptible. If somebody invites you to dinner you accept. If the kids don't like certain things then don't prepare them. (I know, the little buggers are picky - if it isn't spaghetti or McDonalds they don't eat it)

 

[homestarmy]

Originally posted by: nuonce
you presented an offer, they presented a counter-offer, so reject it and tell them to go eat at wendys.