Do you cook your kid a "special meal" or make them eat what the family is eating?

Call me old fashion but I think it's insane. My cousin is cooking his kid a special meal every night because the 5 year old child refuses to eat. So he is feeding his kid processed crap instead of just making him eat meatloaf with him and his wife. Now granted I understand that some kids won't eat certian food like liver and brussel sprouts or cabbage because of their taste. But why would you allow your child to become a picky unhealthy eater? My father would have beaten by butt if I refused to eat my chicken dinner because I wanted pizza? I really don't understand why parents get sucked into this? Yes, I don't have children but I am working on my teaching degree- so I was shocked with an Aid started to brag about how smart her child was because she has to cook him a special dinner- again processed foods. I though- smart? That just means he is a brat and your a terrible parent!

Can anyone shed some light or new information on this for me?

I totally agree with you. I鈥檓 pregnant with my first child but I have 8 nephews and 2 nieces. My partner is a VERY VERY PICKY eater and I blame his mother. She always said well he didn鈥檛 like to eat anything when he was a kid so I always had to make him his own dinner. Bull Crap she just didn鈥檛鈥?take the time to make him eat or she didn鈥檛 make him go to bed without dinner.

I say this because my partners oldest sister was the first out of his siblings to have a child. She moved back home and lived with her mother. Our nephew is now the same way as my partner because of his grandmother鈥檚 helping have a hand in raising him. He will not hardly eat anything what so every. There is like maybe 7 food that they will eat and this is no joke.

I鈥檝e already told her she will not be watching my child as I do not trust her to go by my rules. One of his other sisters has a son and he eats very good. He will eat anything that is on his plate. When I鈥檓 at my mother in-laws house she will sneak him candy all the time give him coke,s he even did this when he was an infant she would place a little in his bottle. I was pissed to say the very least and I told my sister in-law as she had the right to know. I know some kids are picky eaters I understand that and them not liking some foods but to only eat chicken nuggets mac and cheese, French fries and fish sticks is ridiculous! That鈥檚 not counting all the nice sweets and potato chips they鈥檒l eat.

NO child gets a "special meal" except the infant who gets baby food.
Everyone seated at the dinner table eats the same meal. If they don't like it, too bad, they have to at least TRY it by taking three bites. If they don't like it at the end of the three bites they may decide not to continue and may leave the table, however they will get no snacks until the next meal. If they refuse, they need to stay at the table until the three bites are gone.

I don't have to make my kids special meals because I try not to cook things they don't like. I don't think it would make much sense for me to cook peas if me and my husband are the only ones who eat them. of course, I wouldn't feed them fried garbage everyday if that's all they liked. I don't make them eat things they don't like. In my opinion, if they don't want to eat it, that's their business. But I'm not a short order cook so they would have to make their own food.