To the Editor:
Caitlin Daniel didn’t mention an essential factor in children’s nutrition and family harmony: discipline.
Dr. Benjamin Spock and countless old-fashioned parents have always known that one can be both loving but firm with children who don’t want to do what they’re told. It is not all right to assume that whenever a child cries over an unwanted rule, that that rule is wrong or must be abolished.
When children refuse to taste even a tiny amount of something new or familiar, there is nothing wrong with not letting them have anything else, including at the next meal. Even punishment is O.K., so long as it is neither extreme nor ineffective. The right punishment will not have to be repeated more than a few times at most, which leaves many years of happy mealtimes with no arguing or complaining.
It’s not just about wasting food; it’s about developing children’s long-lasting respect for their parents’ work and deference to parental authority.
KIRA BARNUM
Somerville, Mass.
