if a parents feeds their child a microwave macaroni/curry/lasagne ready meal every night...

[MummikinsOopNorth]

...because she dislikes cooking and is terrible at it, is it bad parenting?

Your right nickel - my MIL always raves about my cooking when PILs come round for dinner (always cook them a curry), yet when bring out the pudding we all laugh as it is either (a) homemade and disgusting or (b) boight in from Sainsbos.

I have always wabted to be one of those people who have a file for recipes from mags etc.

Agree cheats ingredients are good - I sometimes use those frozen chilli things which look like ice cube trays.

frozen veg is not cheating at all
neither is frozen oven chips

i thank you

Belgo - think we have the same mother!

Mine eat alot of really simple pasta type things, mashed potato etc also things you can just drop in a pan and leave to cook like casserole (with dumplings).

I didnt learm to cook as a child for various reasons and my diet as a child was mostlty take aways and sandwiches! but I have leanred since having my own kids and hopefully will learn more!

I do cook some more complex things but I do use alot of quick foods as well. Tonight for example they are having cheesy beans and baked potato. I have no idea how nutritionaly sound that is but they love it ad I can cook it without too much trouble! I have no idea what we are having because my diet is awful at the moment because everything is making me sick - all I have wanted for about the last week is chips from the chip shop with a pie from the chip shop and all of it covered in vinegar and pepper (I dont like salt apart from on boiled eggs!)

In fact I might just text mu husband to get him to get chips on the way home I am past caring lol.

From a very judgemental OP this has turned into a really helpful thread.

I didn't learn to cook as a child either. My mum hates cooking and used to say to us she "only cooks because otherwise we would starve". So it was plenty of potatoes boiled or mashed, carrots, overcooked dried out meat and fish fingers/crispy pancakes/frozen burger type things... It was fine, there was always food, we were never hungry, and my DB and I are 6 foot, average weight adults. No harm done.

I survived the first year of Uni on microwavable cottage pie/shepherds pie/fishenmans pie/lasagne

Then I met my DH who is older than me and a great enthusiastic cook and my diet improved tremendously. His parents are also fairly bad cooks and after complaining one day about his dinner he was told "if you don't like it you can make your own" so he did (He was primary aged at the time).

I have learned from observing him. I have also experimented when I had 'free' time. Some experiments went well some didn't. I* now have a repetoire of about 5 key dishes and as DH and I share the cooking that is enough variation.
I do salmon fillets - wrap salmon knob of butter some cut dill and half a lemon in foil
and bung in the oven for 30 mins.
I do macaroni cheese from a recipe I found online.
Jamie Oliver's Beef and Ale Casserole I found online.
I have become an expert at cooking rice - Basmati, 150g feeds about 2 adults and 1 3yr old 350mls of water, bring to boil stir once and then simmer until all the water has gone about 12 mins.
I apologise if any of this is 'teaching grandma to suck eggs' I am a new cook and just sharing my successes of which there are only a few so far

Undercovammutha - does your mother also have a speciality dish of cheese and potato pie that she's made at least once a week for the last 30 odd years?

In theory I should like it, I like both cheese and potatoes, but I don't know what she does with it, I can't stand it! She now gives it to my dh and my girls - who all seem to like it! I stick to the spaghetti hoops that she always serves with it

TBH its not ideal really, and I dont buy the "I don't have time" thing either. Once in a while is OK but surely better to have oven baked potatos/oven baked sausges and peas if its that hard! I am not being judgemental, but I think if you take on being a parent you could make the effort to learn some simple recipes no?

I would never call it bad parenting however!

And you can also go too far the other way (ie the Italian expectationj of two home cooked meals a day, gah!)

I saw something about childhood obesity last night and it broke my heart to see the poor little chubby bunnies, and the parents were NOT helping

so in mu honest option, I think its an area where its worth making an effort,and is hugely important

No its not bad parenting

I suppose it depends on your circumstances with the 'I don't have time'. Alot of the time, I don't have time but tend to have beans on toast or those glorious soups

Donna Hay does some great cookbooks that focus on making simple yet delicious food from fresh ingredients. Not too many ingredients, not too many steps. A friend of mine who is not a natural cook found these books brilliant.
here
this is great

Porca in theory I agree with you but in practise it is not always that easy, for various reasons I imagine.

Yes ideally one ought to be able to cook for ones children;
you also should have a basic knowledge of first aid (hands up who doesn't)

you should be able to create exciting games and stories for them to enjoy...and introduce them to some form of culture, such as music, art etc

you should give them the right amount of freedom coupled with the right amount of protection

You should always be available to listen to them if they are worried or upset, and be prepared to act on these issues on their behalf

The list goes on. I tend to think that if one muddles through on most of these points, that's doing not too badly really.

I suspect that there are a lot of people who fall down on one or more.
No parent is perfect although most of us do try our best, whatever the difficulties involved.

If you love your children and are able to show it in some way, and don't damage them too badly in the process, I think that's the main thing.

Just skimmed that message and I swear I had written 'you should give them the right amount of calpol'

I'm the child of Campbells Soup Co.

My mother worked long hours and everything we ate came in a packet or was seasoned with a packet. Freshly cooked food was there just to "accessorise" the plate.

I'm tall and slim, my 2 sisters are short and a bit chubby. We are ok, have not mutated into a new species despite being feed so many E numbers, MSG and salt. And a regular unhealthy dose of antibiotics that my mum always used as if they were calpol.

So... we are fine... Now the third generation (our children) have a good number of health problems that they were born with. Sometimes I wonder if this is a result of our abysmal diet.

Flight I am in a similar predicament to you. I am really not a natural cook, I could burn baked beans. I batch cook simple AK recipes for the baby (am fine following instructions when the kids are asleep and I can concentrate) but I have a mental block over managing a fresh tea with a 2.10yo and 8mo clamouring for my attention.

DS1 is super fussy so in any case it's kind of out of my hands -- I would do my best to throw together spag bol if he would eat it but he won't do pasta, rice or potatoes, plus has a few allergies thrown in for fun.

So I tend to stick to fish fingers/fish cakes/chicken dippers as he will eat these. Always served with fresh veg though as he is Ok at eating that. And I do try him on new things once a week or so.

I do feel cack about it and would love to be able to throw together a fresh meal that he would eat. But whether it's bad parenting, well I grew up on findus pancakes, tinned hot dogs etc and don't hold it against my mum!

I do not do microwave meals in trays though

we had an emptying the freezer session last night and we had a mish mash of all sorts

tonight was anti abortionists pizza though

I am not sure which is worse

If I did do a microwave meal every night I'd do veg on the side so it would be balanced. Wouldn't call it bad parenting

I feel bad enough doing it for one week - this week. Just out of hospital and not up to doing anything yet, let alone cooking. So ready meals or easy to just put in oven food here for a week, and for 7y DD (she gets school dinner too though which is hot and healthy). Still don't feel great about it, despite having some steam abg veg with it.

I don't think it constitutes bad parenting, no.

"tonight was anti abortionists pizza though"

What????

AngryFromManchester what is this pizza?