AIBU to think sometimes adults should have nicer food to children?

[ImperialBlether]

Something on another thread made me think of this.

I was one of a very big family. My mum always cooked lovely home made meals.

Occasionally my dad (and sometimes my mum) would have different food to us. For example, they might have chops, when we'd have sausages. We loved sausages but we would have loved the chops, too. But when you have a very large family, how can you afford lamb chops for everyone? Half of my siblings were boys and ate a lot, too, so you'd be talking about three chops vs three sausages.

I never felt deprived because my dad had chops when I couldn't. It wouldn't have occurred to me. Similarly if he had Stilton and wouldn't let us taste it, I didn't feel deprived. Envious for quarter of an hour, maybe, but not deprived.

Now in my own family there are some things I like, eg fresh anchovies, which on the one hand I'm lucky my children won't eat anyway, but on the other I wouldn't want to pay for for all of us.

Obviously this is a financial issue. Given the money, my mum would have fed us all organic lamb chops morning, noon and night.

But if money is an issue, is it wrong (as many suggested on the bacon thread) that the children shouldn't eat what the parents eat? Shouldn't there be some privileges for being adult? (And of course I'm not suggesting children go hungry!)

Really interesting discussion, with such opposite viewpoints.

When my dh worked 6 days a week with lots of overtime, so that I could stay home with our 3 dc, I would sometimes give him steak as a treat while the dc would have cheaper meat. (I don't eat meat myself). As long as they leave the table full and happy I don't see any problem. He deserved a treat and no way could we afford steak for 4, and yes the dc would've liked it too, but it was thanks to him we had a chance to do all the fun stuff we did all day, while he worked.

Should he really have waited until we could afford it, or until they all left home, cos that would take over 20 years!!

It wouldn't occur to me to buy different food for us and the children. We all eat the same food, and always have. If it's something fancy, we all have it. If it's sausage and mash, we all have it.

I'm very that anyone would save the best stuff for themselves and give the children cheaper food. I don't know anyone who does that, and I didn't even know it was something that happened.

Hopeforthebest, you say my example of nine children was ridiculous, but that was my family.

There are women on MN with very large families too, who might object to you calling them ridiculous, as I do.

A lot of the time though, most children prefer cheaper, more basic food, rather than richer more exotic stuff.

If we have scampi, and the kids have fishfingers, then I dont see a problem there at all. Everyone leaves the table happy.

I would go the other way, if I was making a difference,and make sure the DCs got the best food as they have the growing bodies.

I thought that giving 'the breadwinner' the best food went back to the days when it was largely bread and dripping and the breadwinner was a male doing hard manual work. I didn't realise it still went on.

Mine do not prefer the more basic food. I always remember DS3 in a French hotel at 5yrs choosing the smelliest, greenest cheese from the cheesboard every night.

I think this is a horrible attitude.

It smacks of contempt for children IMO, which is something our weird stunted little society suffers from to a crazy degree

"children's food"

it is about keeping children in their place and making sure they know that they are lesser beings. Vile. And at best, selfish.

Aren't scampi and fishfingers about on a par though???

I love scampi. Nom.

Nope another mum to olive/rocqefort/mussel/chorizo loving little ones here.

In part because we don't differentiate between adult/kids food.

I was going to say that hope for the best. I get annoyed when out at kids menus which only serve the cheaper foods but great stuff for adults so I am not going to do the same at home.

Aren't scampi and fishfingers about on a par though???

Not sure really, scampi is more of a luxury item, where fishfingers are a more basic item.

My grandaughter loves fishfingers, but although she has tried scampi, she didnt like it.. so she is more than happy with fishfingers and baked beans, while we eat scampi.

I'm surprised there are so many strong opinions on this. For me it sits firmly in the category: "Do what you want. Your children will be fine".

Mine love having fresh dressed crab, moules and lobster when we go out, in fact they like anything seafood, especially spaghetti marinara.

That's different if it's something they genuinely don't like though. Ds likes fish fingers but not scampi, I like scampi not fish fingers so would do one for me and one for Ds. If we both liked the same though we would have the same.

Well, mine make their own pasta. From scratch. With squid ink. And truffles, sourced by their own pig at our chateau in the Périgord region.

Can I just say that I would never Let my kids go hungry, when I shop I buy good quality fresh food for us all. I just don't think there is anything wrong with my dp and I having something different maybe better or worse than the kids. That is the joy of being an adult and parent. Parent job is to make sure kids eat healthy but as an adult I have the right to eat whatever I like including the odd thing that my kids I don't give my kids.

This thread is starting to remind me of the Catherine Tate sketch with the manic mother and the two obnoxious spoilt kids!

Oooh get you and yours Toby

DS2 loves squid testicles... That did give DH and I a laugh in the restaurant.

I am struggling to think of something that you would give an adult and not a child apart from alcohol.