If food time is crisis time for you, if you’ve labeled your kid as a picky eater, if you can’t stand wasting any more food, we’ve got the solution for you.

To start, raise your hand to your other mom friends and say:

My name is Bleeping Kerri and I have a picky eater.

First off, doesn’t that feel good?  You might start to hear from your mom friends that they suffer the same dilemma.  Some may be public; like or comment on a facebook post.  Others may privately message you, “OMG!  Me too!  I’m so glad someone said something about this!”.  You may get anonymous notes in the mailbox “Be strong, momma!  I’ve got a picky eater too!”  But know, you aren’t alone.

Start gathering the names of the other moms that are willing to tell you they are suffering in the picky eater conundrum.  Then plan a gathering of those moms/kids.  Advise every mom to bring a food their kid does like (with some to share), food you’ve bought thinking your kid did like (or liked last week) and hates this week, and a bottle of wine (or straight shots of vodka).

Get everyone together for a long time.  It needs to be a long playdate – could even be at a playground so someone’s house isn’t wrecked.  Long enough that despite fun friends and fun things to do, the kids will, eventually, get hungry.

Then everyone lay out their food.  The food your kids will eat and the food your kids won’t eat.  The food you wish your kids would eat.  Pour yourselves a glass of wine and relax.  Somewhere in that mess of food is something your picky eater will eat.  And something new they may even try, and like (at least today).  And your eater’s discards may become another eater’s favorite foods.  You may even try something new you like!

Most importantly, at the end of the playdate, you’ve drunk a half a bottle of wine and for that afternoon, you relaxed about your picky eater.

Good luck!