I feel bad..

[MarkStretch]

DD (5) had her dinner at 6pm. She sat picking at it, saying she hated it and that it was disgusting.

An hour later I have taken it away. It escalated into a row.

She is now wailing and crying and saying she is so hungry she feels sick (she ate about half).

It is bedtime at 7.30. Do I give in and give her something else or put her to bed. I feel horrible.

bed! or a cup of milk and bed.

Bed and a glass of milk. You cant back down.

give her some milk, but I wouldn't give anything else.

If she ate half then she can't be that hungry.

Put her to bed.

I would put her to bed without. It isn't as if you haven't fed her, she had the choice and decided not to eat it.

What was it btw?

Give her a drink then its time for bed

If it was that BAD she would`nt have eaten half of it

Negotiate. Give her a banana or yoghurt this time and tell her next time she won't get anything else. Then next time remind her, she's old enough to remember, and stick to it. Then it's fair. (And would you eat food you didn't like...?).Also I wouldn't let an hour go by, is counterproductive, they get in such a state they literally can't eat.

It was chicken stir fry and noodles. A dinner we have had many many times.

Now she is crying and saying 'I, I, I, I just want to make you hap-p-p-py mum-m-my, I'm sor-r-r-ry'

Bloody emotional blackmail.

She's FIVE fgs. Do not get into power games. Say to yourself calmly and repeatedly "I am the adult." It's not emotional blackmail, she knows you're cross with her (equates to don't like her in their five year old heads)and doesn't know how else to please you. YABVU

tell her if she doesn't stop it you will put it in the fridge to re-heat for lunch tomorrow this is what my mum used to say to me and it is what actually happened to her as a child

So if you are beaten as a child, is it all right to beat your own children? Or should we learn from it and try and find a better way....?

stick to your guns

Her mum isn't beating her stop being so over the top.

It's called an example. And it was addressed to you LMG, not her.

she's 5 .. give her a piece of bread and some milk and tell her you love her

I wasn't asking if I was being unreasonable. I'm not into power games but it's just hard when you are disciplining them and they get upset.

I am sticking to my guns.

She is having milk and going to bed.

to be fair .. I'm getting narked with my 4 year old at the moment .. her plate is still there and every time she goes 'I'm hungry' I tell her 'well your dinner is there'

bedtime in 3 mins though

And at bedtime I will tell her I love her, lots.

Bit of a harsh example then imo.

LMG, It's the principle - learn from experience and do it better. I used a very clear example that anyone and everyone could relate to so that the point ie the principle, was crystal clear and, in theory, needed no further explanation.

We are talking about a child eating dinner not beating a child

fgs