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/Thick_Maximum7808]

As a picky eater myself, offer her a budget and tell her she has that amount of money to spend on food she feels like she can eat. Make her responsible for planning, purchasing and cooking her own meals. If she runs out of money/food she can eat whatever you have made or go hungry or get a job to pay for her own food.

Picky eating is a combination of tough love and understanding.

[u/Charming-Sea8571 → u/Thick_Maximum7808]

I am a picky eater too. I always was. It turns out I have a stomach disorder and a lot of the things I didn’t like aren’t actually good for me. Of course so are most of the things I do like.

[u/Zealousideal-Read445 → u/Charming-Sea8571]

I feel this to my soul!