Food Fears

We all have food we aren’t fans of. Me personally, I hate just about anything that makes the kitchen smell like feet all day. So of course, my home is sauerkraut free! That being said, I doubt any of us are truly afraid to eat something. Even something you hate.
Enter my 7 year old step-son…..
We recently went on a trip to Indianapolis for a short family vacation and while we were there, my fiancé and I decided to treat our three children to Dave and Buster’s. For those of you that have no idea what I’m talking about, Dave and Buster’s is a sit down restaurant with a crap load of games. Think Chuck-e-Cheese, but much bigger and 100 times better. The best part is they have games for all age groups. The kids get to have fun and we get to play more adult-friendly games.
We get to our seats and everything is going great. The kids are getting along, the drinks get to us quickly, I’ve got sports on the tv. So far so good. Then the food came…. We only order chicken nuggets for the kids when we go out to places that have pizza, burgers, etc. because that is the only thing they will eat. That’s right, my kids hate pizza….. Let that sink in, two 7 year olds and a 6 year old hate pizza. Just think about how many kid’s birthday parties you’ve been to that serves pizza. How many kid oriented restaurants serve pizza. PIZZA IS FROM THE GODS! That is how I know they are my step-children.
Anyways, Dave and Buster’s doesn’t have chicken nuggets, they have chicken tenders. Basically the same thing right? You would think that this isn’t a problem, but you would be wrong. This kid has a legit fear of any food that isn’t chips or chicken nuggets. I have never seen someone so afraid of something as harmless as food. He cried his eyes out, was visibly shaking, and was as pale as a ghost. Basically how I look in scary movies. All because his chicken was a long and skinny tender instead of a short and round nugget. He was so afraid of a chicken tender he was having what I can only assume is a 7 year old’s version of a panic attack.
Don’t get me wrong, I have irrational fears too. I’m afraid of cemeteries because of a zombie movie I saw as a kid. I’m afraid of being in a basement with the lights off by myself because I watched Dracula at a young age. Watching the way this kid freaks out about food is worse than any irrational fear I have ever seen. I would feel bad for the kid if it wasn’t so frustrating.
This is just the latest example. He has done the same thing with green beans, mac and cheese, pizza and many others. They said parenting was hard, but I didn’t think they meant fighting with your kid for two hours just to try a bite of mac and cheese. If that is what they meant, then I salute all the parents that came before me. Your patience deserves a reward.
So here is my question for all you parents out there. How in the world do I get him past this anxiety and panic? This kid needs to experience food, but more than that he needs to embrace change. It’s really starting to worry me. I mean what kid hates pizza?!