My daughter is five. She recently started kindergarten and we have settled into a morning routine. She usually has cereal for breakfast.
This morning she didn’t finish it. I saw that bowl with milk and little “o”s in it and I got mad. “I work for the money for that food!” “Why is she wasting food?” She doesn’t intend those things though.
Why was I mad? I was mad because I would never have done that. I filled the bowl and sprinkled sugar on it and drank down every last drop of milk. Why? Because I was hungry. She’s not finishing it because she isn’t hungry for it.
My kid has enough to eat. She eats when she is hungry and stops when she is full. We make sure that she gets enough protein and eats vegetables and don’t make her clean her plate.
I get frustrated when she doesn’t eat a lot or rejects food without trying it. Her tastes and appetite change. But sometimes she’s not hungry and that’s a good thing.