I think the salmon was dancing....

When I was a kid, my mom would call us to dinner, we sat down, and we ate. Sometimes mom would make salmon patties. I detested everything about salmon patties - the smell, the taste, the texture, everything. So you know what I'm referring to, this was salmon from a can. With a cartoon salmon on the front. And by the way, I've also had ham from a can. No meat should EVER come from a can. I'm talking NEVER EVER.  But you know what? I ate that shitty salmon. Why? Because that is what my mother made for dinner.

The kind we used came in a black can with a pink salmon on the front. He may have been wearing a top hat.
Traumatized me.

Flash forward 30-something-ish years and I am now blessed with E, an 8 year old who every single day - every. single. day. - asks me what we're having for dinner. It's almost the first thing out of her mouth when I pick her up.

Me:   Hi. How are you?

E:   Good.

Me:   How was your day?

E:   Good. What are we having for dinner.

Every. Single. Damn. Day. Listen, I hate making dinner. I loathe it. I hate trying to decide what we're having. I hate cooking it. I hate cleaning up after it. So this whole line of conversation makes me doubly crazy. When I tell her what I have taken out of the freezer to slave over in order to ensure she doesn't starve to death, the reaction tends to range from "ugh I don't like that" to almost in tears crying "but I don't want that." 

The rule WAS that if she didn't like what we were having for dinner, she could have a peanut butter sandwich. After last night, the rule NOW is I don't make dinner for her. She is on her own. When she asks me what's for dinner, I will say "Well, WE are having this. YOU on the other hand are having whatever you can find to eat that is somewhat healthy."  Plus, I told her not to ask me what's for dinner at all anymore.

I tried other tactics in the past to stop this behavior. Obviously, I was less than successful. I have to see where this plan goes. I'd like to say that I use the stay-calm Love & Logic system all the time, but it seems I revert back to the parenting style my mother used -- anger followed by silence and guilt. I see how well that worked out, so I definitely need to try harder to use Love & Logic.

Maybe I should also make some shitty salmon patties. See how she likes that.