Raise your hand if you live in a house full of picky eaters! (*Emphatically raises hand*) I know I do!

I love my kids, and they all have strengths and weaknesses, but one thing we DEFINITELY struggle with is dinnertime! My kids are picky. And they’re all picky about different things! One kid loves all meat but hates bacon, one kid won’t eat any meat except bacon. Two of my kids LOVE cherry tomatoes but hate carrots, while the other two love carrots and gag over cherry tomatoes. It sure makes mealtimes interesting! It seems that no matter what I make, someone isn’t happy.

It can be pretty draining, but I usually just deal with it. I’m very much in the mindset that my kids are just going to eat what I prepare and that’s that (making two dinners every night? “Ain’t nobody got time for that!”) Every once in a while I’ll make exceptions, like if I’m making something particularly exotic, but I always have them try whatever I make, in the hopes that one day they’ll find that mom actually makes some tasty food ;).

Well, I’ve recently made the exciting discovery that my 8 year old is actually starting to like stuff!! A couple months ago I made spicy orange chicken, and he asked for more. My jaw just about dropped because this is coming from the kid who “hates” chicken. I mean, it’s battered and fried and covered in a sweet sauce, so it’s hardly healthy, but to me it was a huge leap forward!

Fast forward a couple weeks later and he sampled the Indian-inspired meal I made, and asked for seconds of that as well! I was honestly surprised. He mentioned that he might even ask for this for his birthday meal- he LOVED the curry rice.

Well the true moment of absolute shock arrived when I made a Thai Peanut Chicken Salad. The flavors are unique and it’s full of a variety of vegetables, and I was sure none of my kids would be into it. I personally love Thai food, but I recognize that they use an unusual combination of flavors that may not appeal to young ones. Well, my 8 year old LOVED it. He asked for a second helping, and even went so far as to ask for the leftovers for his lunch the next day- which was super exciting for this mama!

He genuinely enjoyed this exotic meal, and my husband and I were genuinely shocked. After years of battles over food, it seems that my oldest is starting to come around- and it honestly makes dinnertime more fun! Getting to introduce him to a variety of foods, with the expectation that he might actually like what I’m making, is really exciting to me!

I think it’s so interesting that our palates seem to take time to develop. Maybe it’s a defense mechanism- maybe our little ones have pickier palates so that they’re less inclined to eat everything they find, like make-up and Play-doh (though, this is definitely not a 100% guarantee because I’ve had children eat both of those things;) ). It is very encouraging to think that if my oldest (who is definitely one of my pickier kids) can come around and start enjoying a variety of dishes and flavors, then my other kids will hopefully fall in step behind him as well! There really is a light at the end of the tunnel. Kids can outgrow their pickiness. And while I realize that not every kid outgrows their picky palates, I do believe that exposing your kids to a variety of dishes makes a difference. Sometimes they may have to try something 20 times before they like it- but if you don’t even have them try it once, how will they ever figure out all the things they actually do like?

I’m curious to hear others’ experiences. Did you/Do you have children with picky palates? When did they outgrow their pickiness? Or did they stay picky? (I have a sister who definitely falls in this category ;) ) Share your experiences in the comments below!