Kid Pancake of The Cereal Project
MrBreakfast.com - All Breakfast All The Time
Mr Breakfast
All Breakfast All The Time
Over 2,200 Breakfast Recipes
Free Monthly Newsletter

Site Index
MrBreakfast.com
Home Recipes Restaurants Library Breakfast Club Shopping Cereal Project
   


Questions

Why do we drink orange juice at breakfast?

How do I clean my waffle maker?

How do you boil an egg?

Why are some eggs white and others brown?

What is English Breakfast Tea? What does it have to do with breakfast?

Is it possible to roast an egg?

How do I get my bacon to be crispy?

What makes beef become "corned beef"?

What is buttermilk?

Can I use a crockpot to keep scrambled eggs warm before serving?

How do I poach an egg?

When do eggs go bad? How long do they last after the date on the package?

My 10-year-old son will not eat breakfast. What should I do?

Why are eggs associated with breakfast in so many countries?

Where does the word "breakfast" come from?

What is gruel and did orphans really eat it?







ask mr breakfast

ask mr breakfast
ask mr breakfast

Dear Mr Breakfast,

My 10-year-old son will not eat breakfast. What should I do?

Dawn P.

ask mr breakfastDear Dawn,

I've heard scary stories before about children who don't like breakfast and it always destroys me. I blame the hole in the ozone layer. Something, or someone, is futzing with nature and I don't like it. Lions eat breakfast. Birds eat breakfast. Every animal under the sun eats breakfast. So why have certain human children become prone to disliking breakfast?

There's not much I can do personally to fix the hole in the ozone layer, but there is something I can do to fix your boy. I'm going to need your help.

The first thing I'm going to tell you is what NOT to do. Do not feed your kid pizza or cheese macaroni in the morning just because he likes it. Certainly it's important to get some nutrients in your youngster before sending him off to school, but not at the expense of creating a spoiled brat that gets everything he wants. You'll hear otherwise from certain psyco-babble-ologists, but don't listen. They're offering you the easy way out. For the sake of your son's future, you have to be willing to put forth more effort than dishing out cold spaghetti.

That's not to say you shouldn't play to his favorites. You just have to play right. If your little guy likes pizza, make him a pizza omelette. If he likes chocolate, try making chocolate waffles. Use his favorite foods as a tool to turn him toward the world of breakfast, but do so in moderation. Try phrases like "You had peanut butter and jelly pancakes yesterday. Let's try a buttermilk one today." Ease him into it and soon he'll be asking for waffles without the "chocolate" and "strawberry" adjectives.

Talk to your youngster. Children respond to common sense, and even more importantly they respond to peer pressure. Scientific studies have proven that children who eat breakfast perform better on tests and are more alert throughout the day. Explain to your boy that eating breakfast will make him better than the other kids. Over the long run, it will make him more attractive. (Over 78% of fat people who loose weight and keep it off use breakfast as part of their diet strategy.) Your kid doesn't want to be fat.

Finally if working with his mouth and his mind are both unsuccessful, work with his heart. Back in my day, there was something called "tough love". If my mother put a breakfast in front of me and I acted fussy, she would firmly say, "Eat your darn breakfast" and propose a simple threat such as no playtime or no more food the rest of the day. I didn't like my mother a whole lot during those moments, but you know what -- I got over it.

Every morning, you have to wake up and tell yourself, "I'm not just making a breakfast; I'm shaping a young mind." You have a chance to turn a smart-Alex try-nothing into someone who relishes trying new things, someone poised for success. Like the proverbial day, that too begins with breakfast.

Thanks a lot for your question.


Send Some Breakfast To A Friend
Email This Page
Connect With Mr Breakfast:
MrBreakfast At FaceBook   MrBreakfast At MySpace   Mr Breakfast On Twitter


The editorial content above may not be reproduced without the written permission of Mr Breakfast.com. Please contact us for reprint requests.

MrBreakfast Home
Go To MrBreakfast Home
The Cereal Project At MrBreakfast.com
Over 1,200 cereals so far with pictures and classic TV ads. Click here.
More Breakfast Basics