Quote Originally Posted by Fun&care View Post
The DCG in my original post, on top of eating processed food, has always been a really big "milk girl"...she drinks a LOT of it from what I can tell.
I apologize in advance this is so long...

Well, yes, I think that would be a clue too. Milk has calories and can be quite filling. I am a big believer in milk for everybody, but I think by the age of two keeping in line with the food guidelines (2 cups/day) is best. That includes the milk in the cereal too. I limit milk when we are eating, they can have more if they clean the plate. But they only get 1/4 to 1/2 cup at each sitting, that's 3x per day because I figure they will be getting some at home too.

Slightly off topic, but it seemed to me from the OP that the dcps might feel they are "winning" too. There will always be people who are in competition with you. You might not even know it, either. But if you are good at something, someone, somewhere will be jealous. If you are good at getting dcks to eat veggies, for example, and the dcps aren't, they may feel they are "losing" to you. So to compensate, they stuff her full of 'fun food." You also don't know what they are saying at home. "Oh, you don't like fun&care's lunches? Well you don't have to eat them."

Slightly more off topic, I have been surprised a couple of times over the years when parents are surprised that I care about their kids. Me, "I will miss him when he leaves for school." DCM, "Really?!?" Well, yah! That's why I do this. That's why I spend a lot of "off" time cooking healthy meals, why I don't use a lot of chemicals in my home, why I live this job every day.

Fun&Care, I believe you wrote the OP because you really do care and it's hard when the parents won't help with that. So, then there's nothing you can do about them. All you need to worry about is you.

Have you tried the opposite of ignoring the problem? And by that I mean focus on food? Talk about it all the time, read books about nutrition, look at grocery flyers, plan the menu with the kids, get them to help choose and prepare foods. In other words, make everything you do about understanding healthy food. You could have vegetable day, or fruit day. Buy 1 of each of 10 fruits or veg and they each get to try a small piece. Make a chart of who likes what and who doesn't. The don'ts get a marker X and the likes get a sticker. I'm sure the Health Canada food guide site will have some resourses that might help too. Do they have printable coloring pages?

I think I would try to get her 'into' food, first before giving up. And BTW, I hated vegetables when I was a kid but now I love them. So there is always hope!