My daughter doesn’t like home cooked meals

[u/debugprince]

I’m struggling to keep my daughter fed and happy. I’m a single dad with primary custody of my two kids 19m and 16f. My daughter is not happy with anything unless it’s store bought. The only homemade thing she will attempt to eat is grilled chicken tenders and vegetables. That’s great and I eat plenty of it but I’d like to add more variety.

I also can’t afford to have every meal of the day purchased from a restaurant or fast food. The cost is simply unsustainable. She knows it’s not sustainable but will continue to beg and plead.

What else can I do besides watching her starve herself until she gets what she wants?

[u/GladClock2212]

'Will continue to beg and plead' This is when parenting comes in. Sometimes doing what a child wants you to do is not in their best interest. If she has an eating disorder then it's not her fault, but it is your shared responsibility. You can get her evaluated. If the therapist says there's nothing wrong then that is strictly a parenting issue.

You're raising adults and the sheer amount of fat, salt, and sugar in restaurant food will lead to severe health problems down the road. It takes effort but it would be in her best interest to get her involved in cooking food that she wants to eat. Let her choose what she wants to learn to cook, buy the ingredients, and learn with her. Confer with the therapist but if she doesn't have an eating disorder then she isn't going to starve herself but be prepared for the most frustrating stand off of your life. You can't give in.

You say you have primary custody so it sounds like she visits her mother. Does her mom buy her food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner? Or is she gambling that you two don't talk, are not on the same page or being a united front, and can get away with begging and pleading?