Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

The reasons some kids won't eat foods range from hilarious and infuriating to ridiculous. Kids are picky eaters and there are very few parents out there who haven’t had to deal with this. Even though it’s a hassle to convince your children to eat their veggies (or any meal they actually asked you to make for them), the reasons kids give us for why they can’t eat something can be adorably absurd. Like not wanting their peanut butter and jelly sandwich because it has peanut butter and jelly in it.

I remember serving Chicken Cordon Bleu to Claude once, and his response was "Chicken Cordon Bleu AGAIN?" He didn't want fancy food.

If you're a parent, you probably have your own story. If not, here are just a few amusing reasons why a child may refuse to eat.

After watching the movie "Ratatoulli" 658098764 times and asking me to make what they made 787628 times I spent hours scouring the internet for the exact same recipe from the movie and made it and now they can't eat it because a rat didn't make it.

Because if Honey Nut Cheerios taste like honey and Chocolate Cheerios taste like chocolate, Frosted Cheerios must taste like the cast of Frozen and she doesn't want to eat Elsa.

Because discovered halfway through eating a cookie, that it isn't an Oreo. I never said it was an Oreo. He's crying. There is a crowd forming. Send help.

Because the pringle he wants is broken, but I can't eat it because it's his. So I guess we're gonna have to put it in a raft, push it out to sea, and set it aflame using a flaming arrow Viking style. RIP Pringle. Enjoy Valhalla.

Because "a mouse already had some." - Swiss Cheese

Because it's cold and "tastes like you mixed a bunch of fruits together." Um, I did - Fruit Salad

Because she's a vegetarian. She wants chicken nuggets instead. - Hot Dog

Because "it looks like it needs a doctor." - Muffin

Because the dinosaur chicken nugget is too cute. I actually had to freeze it so it could stay like this forever and he could visit it.

Because the grapes are too spicy. SPICY!

Because there are too many spoons in the bowl. (You'll never, EVER, guess who put them there.) - Oatmeal

Because she asked for cheese and crackers, not crackers and cheese.

Because it "reminds me of Snow White." I told her that if this apple really could make her sleep for several hours I would have cleaned the store out. 

Because by removing the cherry seeds, I turned them into olives.

Because they don't have heads. Side note: He bit all of the heads off. - Teddy Grahams

Grilled cheese sandwich because it has a "tail" and he doesn't eat animals. - Strand of Cheese.

Because they're "blurry" (wavy). - Crinkle Fries

Because they're all "cracked open like Humpty Dumpty" and he "can't eat things that are broken," because they might "break him." And "no one would be able to put him together again." - Grapes

Because she already ate at school. It's Sunday.

Because her "heart wants Goldfish."

There’s nothing quite as frustrating and defeating as spending time prepping, cooking, and serving a meal, only to have your child refuse to eat. We've all been frustrated at one time or another, even when it's exactly what they asked for. We'll end up eating it standing over the trash like a beggar and they'll ask for it two hours from now. When I tell her it's gone she'll cry like we all did the first time we watched Bambi.

As much as we want to micromanage our child’s food intake though, doing so creates major power struggles, mealtime meltdowns, and stress for everyone.  Kids’ eating patterns are random, unpredictable, and all over the map. That’s why it’s so important not to go into mealtimes with an agenda, and focus on what you CAN and SHOULD control. If you're lucky, they will probably outgrow their picky eating habits, but don't expect the excuses to ever end. Tonight Claude said, This isn't Chicken Cordon Bleu. It's not fancy enough."

Life never gets easier no matter how old your children are. Their handprints are still all over the walls, you just have to reach a little higher to clean them.