To not prepare lunch for my dc

[madnessitellyou]

I of course will feed them...

I’ve had an entire week of them moaning my lunches are not acceptable. They are ridiculously fussy: dc1 apparently only likes tomato soup; dc2 apparently only likes cheese on toast. I’m sick of making two lunches. To not have to make three, I end up having the same as one of them, which invariably isn’t what I want but of course i suck it up because, well, practice what I preach, innit.

I’ve offered them a ‘treat’ lunch as it’s Friday and I’m back in work next week but apparently that’s not acceptable either. Dc1 wants McDonald’s instead but dc2 doesn’t. I cannot be bothered to go to McDonald’s especially when there is food in the house.

I could actually scream. They are nearly 12 and nearly 9. The older one is capable of making their own and has done previously but is refusing to.

Children won’t allow themselves to starve, if they’re hungry they will eat it. If they don’t then let them go without until dinner. Maybe you’re giving too much choice by asking what they want? Could you try saying “ X for lunch today” and then follow the above?

And I’d love nothing more than taking them out fo lunch but eating out isn’t something we do often, partly cost, but mostly because dc1 inhales food, dc2 eats at the pace of a sloth then dc1 moans and moans and moans. Dc2 is fussy but oddly so: the sort of child that will go thirsty if all that’s on offer is juice.

Tomato soup and cheese on toast don't take long to prepare and are quite nutritious, I'd humour them while they are still so young and have a treat meal of their choice once a week. A lot of kids are like that but they change.

Cheese and tomatoes on toast is very nice too, I often have that. Give them a bit of fruit that they like for pudding.

They will be less finicky as they grow older. I eat all sorts of stuff nowadays and so does my son (he's a good cook too), which we would never have eaten as children. I know my mum despaired sometimes but it didn't last forever.

This is for you . You deserve a treat, bless you.

Ah, wait until after Brexit. They will have to eat mangel wurzels and be grateful for them.

If one wanted ham and one wanted sliced cheese that’d be fine. But they don’t. The only sandwich fillings they will eat require more prep than I am prepared to do today. And they won’t eat the same one!

I would set up a rota for who is in charge of lunch each day, to include both of them and you. You probably need to supervise a little bit, especially the 9yo, but really they should be able to make sandwiches/soup/cheese on toast or whatever for 3 people at their ages. And sometimes people have to eat things they wouldn't have chosen. Tough.

High .

Also 'they won't eat' is fine. Then they can wait until dinner. That's not a reason to be making three separate meals.

When we have tomato soup we always have cheese on toast to dip in it. You're missing a trick here OP, it's delicious.

But they’re asking for soup or a sandwich. You don’t even have to cook those, just warm stuff up and shove stuff together. It would be really annoying if one only ate roast dinners and the other seafood risotto or something, but it’s not particularly arduous to open a can of soup and to slice some cheddar!

Dc1 has grovelled and is going to bake me a cake.

Fenella to me that’s cooking especially after five weeks of summer holidays!

Leave them picnic style picky bits out. Let them help themselves. It's the only way.

And I’d love nothing more than taking them out for lunch but eating out isn’t something we do often, partly cost, but mostly because dc1 inhales food, dc2 eats at the pace of a sloth then dc1 moans and moans and moans.

Wow this would drive me mad. We have always enjoyed eating out and a 12 and 9 year old should be able to do this. I have sympathy with your DC2 because I was a slow eater as a child and there really isn't much you can do about it, people trying to hurry you just makes it harder and harder until the food is difficult to swallow. But your 12 year old is more than old enough to eat at a polite speed and sit patiently and join in the conversation while waiting for everyone to finish.

Very nice, I'myourgranny! Quite fancy it myself right now.

Toasted cheese and tomato sandwiches, as opposed to cheese on toast, is also lovely.

It's hardly cordon bleu cookery! A sandwich and some soup? What's so hard?

You're acting like you're making complex things. What you describe takes 5 minutes.

I really fancy cheese on toast dipped into a big bowl of Heinz tomato soup now. /nothelpful

They are old enough to make their own lunches.

It's fine to expect the elder child to make their own lunch, and the younger to help if they can't do it themselves yet.

However I also wouldn't see cheese on toast and tomato soup as something arduous to do - I'm assuming you are just heating the soup and not making if fresh each day? Personally I'd microwave the soup whilst doing a quick cheese on toast in 5 min, then fix my own lunch.

It’s the principle of making two lunches when they would eat what each other wants but are just being awkward.

Tell dc1 if he wants soup tins in cupboard can have it cold or warm it up their choice. Use the stove or microwave. Otherwise gets what you decide to give. In regards to other child get them to pop bread in toaster grate a little cheese and place on top. You may be needed to melt it if that's where the issue is but won't take more than a minute. Then have what you would like along with a glass of wine it sounds like their testing your patience this week.

I disagree with people that just say "well it's not hard to make so why can't they just have" - it's not a healthy attitude to expect exactly the same meal every day and not be able to adapt if they don't get it, especially now they are no longer small. I would just make what you're having and if they don't want it then they will have to see what they can make for themselves. If they eat other things at dinner time then they are clearly capable of eating other things and are just being fussy and demanding.

Let them make their own, at 9 they can operate the microwave and grill (if not excellent teaching moment!)

i would say as they get older actually thats its more ok to want/have different.where lunch is concerned anyway.when they re younger its better and easier to stick to uniform lunches.but they are growing and maturing and so is their tastes.
my brother would want a all meat in sandwhich.where my sister will come in and have her smashed avo and salmon on toast!

DC1 is old enough to be making their own sandwich fillings, and their own sandwich. And even making you a sandwich too should you want one. Not necessarily every day, but you’re making it harder than it needs to be for yourself