Sending kids to bed without dinner

[guywithashovel]

Although it was never done to me when I was a kid, some parents have punished unruly children by sending them to bed without their dinners. I don't think very many parents today do it, but from listening to people who are a few decades older than I am, it seems that parents sometimes did this in the past.

I'm just wondering what everyone thinks of this as a punishment. Is it too cruel and over the top, or is it an acceptable form of punishment? Also, were you ever punished this way as a child? I never was. My mom told me once that before she even had my sister and me, she swore that she was never going to use that as a punishment, and she never did.

[AFPheonix]

It's one tool in a toolbox and hunger isn't necessarily the most horrible thing ever, especially if the kid gets breakfast the next day. It can be uncomfortable for a little while, yes, but it is hardly harmful. For some food-motivated kids, it may very well be just the ticket to push their reset buttons.

[Greenday]

When I was a kid, if I said I didn't want to eat what was made, my parents threatened to take my plate away from me. If I continued to complain, they took it away from me and there was no way in hell they were going to make me something else.

Come to think of it, if I don't like what my mom cooks now, I have to make myself something new, even if it's something she's known that I haven't liked for the past 21 years of my 21 year old life.

[Boozy]

I don't like the idea of using hunger as a punishment, but I see nothing wrong with using this as a tactic for really picky eaters.

Some kids, no matter how hard their parents try, won't eat anything but junk food if you let them. In that case, as soon as they're old enough to understand, I have no problem with parents putting a plate of broccoli and chicken (or whatever the family is eating for dinner that night) in front of them and saying, "This is the family's dinnner tonight. You will eat this, or you will eat nothing."

My mom was pretty good about letting us pick and choose what we wanted to a certain extent. I ate every vegetable put in front of me, except green beans. So it was no big deal for her to put some raw carrots on my plate on green bean night. But my little sister refused to eat anything but bread and potatoes. My parents had to get tough with her. My mom used to put the plate down in front of her and say, "You're here until you've eaten." She'd hold out for a few hours, then eat so she could go play. I don't recall her ever refusing to eat before going to bed, but I have no doubt that my mom would have been okay with that, at least for one night.

[Greenday]

My mom used to put the plate down in front of her and say, "You're here until you've eaten." She'd hold out for a few hours, then eat so she could go play. I don't recall her ever refusing to eat before going to bed, but I have no doubt that my mom would have been okay with that, at least for one night.

I like that tactic. You learn really fast that disgusting food hot tastes better than disgusting food cold.

[AdminAssistant]

I was a bit of a picky eater. I didn't care for meat, I only wanted bread.

My nephew is the same way, except he only wants junk food - chicken nuggets, especially. Problem is, my sister hardly ever cooks, so he usually gets what he wants.

[Dreamstalker]

I was also a somewhat picky eater when it came to veggies (but what kid wasn't?) My mom used that tactic a couple times, but I think we both knew that my innate curiosity would lead me to eating it at least once. (she started me out good; my first solid food was fresh oyster stew and I was chowing down on the best peking duck in DC by age two).

If I only liked something with butter/etc or really hated it, she didn't mind making changes because to her, I at least tried and could say why I didn't like it. Eventually I would come back to the food...I couldn't stand brussels sprouts when I was a pup, now I'd eat them year-round if I could.

[blas87]

I think that's a better idea than forcefeeding. And no, my parents didn't literally try to shove nasty things like sprouts and other vegetables (eww I HATE veggies!) into my mouth and down my throat, but if I did not finish every single bite of everything on my plate, I was grounded. Of course I never went to bed hungry...but I did want to make myself vomit at times.

You really need to understand though, my mother is one of those women who thinks she is Rachael Ray, but her food is literally toxic and beyond disgusting.

I've always hated veggies anyway. Good thing we got a dog when I was 12.

[the_std]

This was something my parents used against my little brother, who used to be the pickiest little fart-head you ever did see, plus a troublemaker to boot. No other punishment really worked on him, because he found a way to weasel out of it. Time outs didn't work because, no matter where you sent him, he found something to play with. Grounding didn't work because he loved playing at home and didn't have much of a social life. Only the more primal stuff, like hunger, was effective, because it was one thing he couldn't ignore.

It was never cruel, however. He got breakfast the following morning, so it's not like he was truly starved or anything. Just a little wiser for the wear.

[Greenday]

It was never cruel, however. He got breakfast the following morning, so it's not like he was truly starved or anything. Just a little wiser for the wear.

Now that I think about it, with the way I eat while at school (2 meals is a good day, 1 meal is average), missing out on dinner every so often is not a big deal at all.

I had to think back to what my parents would do to punish me, but now I remember. It was kinda mean too. If I refused to eat dinner, my parents told me they'd have to take me to the hospital and force feed me with tubes and needles. They'd try to scare me into eating. I'm going to have to have a "Remember when" chat with my mom now.

[AFPheonix]

Most kids are picky about veggies. I myself hated (and still hate ) peas. I just figured out that if you pinched your nose shut, you couldn't taste them, especially with a milk chaser. Mom was happy, I was happy, and got my veggies.

[AdminAssistant]

What I can't stand is the Jessica Seinfield idea of hiding veggies in chocolate. Um, shouldn't you be teaching your kids that veggies can be good and good for you? How is hiding broccoli in a brownie really helping in the long term?

We weren't a big veggie and fruit family - except in the spring and summer, when our neighbor's garden would start producing and the corn was ready. Then it was all veggies, all the time! Lucky me, with the littlest fingers, getting to silk the corn and shuck the peas. Lucky, lucky, lucky me.

[Boozy]

One thing to consider, though: Kids have far more sensitive tastebuds than adults. Parents sometimes forget that. Cooked vegetables such as peas, carrots, and broccoli have very strong flavours. Kids aren't reacting to how they taste so much as how strongly they taste.

[katie kaboom]

How is hiding broccoli in a brownie really helping in the long term?

That reminds me of when I was little and the rule was I couldn't have dessert unless I ate all my dinner. I didn't like broccoli all that much when i was a kid (love it now though) and so I dipped my broccoli in my chocolate pudding and ate it. My mother thought it was gross, but she let me get away with it, beacuse it was getting me to actually eat the broccoli.

[kiwi]

My Mum made one dinner for everyone and thats what I had to eat.
There were times we relied on the salvation army food donations to have anything to eat so my brother and I shut up and ate whatever it was.
It wasn't usually bad tasting, just very plain... spices were expensive and usually out of the question.

Any food is better than no food and mum didn't need the added stress of kids moaning about food she stuggled to get on the table. My brother and I were usually just happy that there was something to eat.

I now can no longer eat spagetti bol anymore because all anyone ever seems to give the sallies was spagetti pasta and canned pasta sauce. I remember having it for weeks on end.

Any future kids I have won't be in the same position thankfully but I won't be putting up with any moaning either. If I take the time to make dinner, they can bloody well eat it with no lip, or they can have no food. At least they will have a choice.