I read recently that self-respecting parents place great importance on eating the same meals as their children. Not just sitting together and sharing mealtimes, which is of course good for children’s health, improves school grades and whole family wellbeing – which is very important to me – but consuming the same dish at the same time.
I read this shortly after my husband Mark had cooked curry for me and him; macaroni cheese for one child; plain pasta with grated cheese and olives for another and noodles for the third. I felt like I’d missed the memo. In our home, getting our children to eat is our bar for success. But one meal? If we create a venn diagram of taste, pretty much the only overlap is a Sunday roast (and even then Juno, three, won’t eat the chicken so we substitute with sausages for her).
Astrid, nine and Xavi, seven, have been trialling a gluten-free diet after frequent complaints about tummy aches (I know I carry the coeliac gene, though I don’t have any symptoms) but their taste has become more varied over the past few months – they’ve started tasting our milder curries and declaring them good, though they’ve never committed to a full portion. Juno, three, doesn’t like chicken or pizza but loves chips.
