Picky About Colors

[Lil'DinoEggs]

In the last month, a trend started where the kids are picky about colors. It is not consistent. Usually one child will ask for a specific color fork and they will all want it. The next meal, it is a completely different color but same issue. My options seem to be:

*change everything to one color which wouldn't be too hard but would cost a little bit of money

*teach them it doesn't matter and continue to give stuff out randomly with a few tears

*take turns picking out a color

Which one do you recommend or do you have another idea?

[Unregistered]

I personally just hand them out and ignore their request.
If they throw a fit about it I excuse them from the table and let them know that throwing a fit over it is unacceptable.
The school agers tell them-You get what you get and you don't throw a fit!Lol
They learn quickly that throwing a tantrum gets them nothing but a time out.

[preschoolteacher]

I have a set of six place settings--each in a different color. They are the Ikea dishes for kids. Each kid gets his/her own color and it stays the same. Here, kids are supposed to have their own individual glasses (not shared) so I figured I'd extend that to the entire place setting.

The "color war" is not a battle I would want to have at mealtime! There is usually enough going on at this time already.

[MyAngels]

My kids tell each other: "You get what you get and you don't throw a fit." It makes me smile every time

[Maria2013]

I personally just hand them out and ignore their request.
If they throw a fit about it I excuse them from the table and let them know that throwing a fit over it is unacceptable.
The school agers tell them-You get what you get and you don't throw a fit!Lol
They learn quickly that throwing a tantrum gets them nothing but a time out.

I agree!

I have color plates and sitting etc. I tried color coding each kid but I ran into problems when two kids favored the same color.... so I started switching kids around and adopted the above policy "you get what you get"

[Leigh]

My kids tell each other: "You get what you get and you don't throw a fit." It makes me smile every time

My kids chant that at each other whenever one complains! If one told me that they wouldn't eat with a purple fork, I'd tell them to eat with your fingers then, or don't eat at all. At least once a week, I hear at lunchtime that "I don't like this", and I tell them that my job is to make healthy food, and their job is to eat it. I can't make them do their job, but I did mine. The food gets eaten 95% of the time, and they like it once they taste it.

[spud912]

I concur.... you get what you get. If you are going to be whining at the table incessantly about anything, you are excused.

In my house, the kids all have an assigned color and they are stuck with it until they no longer attend. It's funny because I see the color purple and it automatically conjures in my brain the faces of the girls who were assigned purple ::.

[JoseyJo]

I personally just hand them out and ignore their request.
If they throw a fit about it I excuse them from the table and let them know that throwing a fit over it is unacceptable.
The school agers tell them-You get what you get and you don't throw a fit!Lol
They learn quickly that throwing a tantrum gets them nothing but a time out.

Me too!!

[daycarediva]

My kids tell each other: "You get what you get and you don't throw a fit." It makes me smile every time

Yupper, same exact phrase is said here often.

[WImom]

My kids tell each other: "You get what you get and you don't throw a fit." It makes me smile every time

Kids say that here too!
I don't let them choose. I just tell them that I don't accept requests.

[SilverSabre25]

"You get what you get and you don't get upset..."

Also I've gone through phases of assigned colors. And assigned seats. But usually colors are random. With one exception--DD ALWAYS gets either the pink or the purple plate. She's the only girl, the oldest by a lot, and very resentful of daycare. So I don't feel bad at ALL giving in to the one small demand of pink every time.

[EntropyControlSpecialist]

I personally just hand them out and ignore their request.
If they throw a fit about it I excuse them from the table and let them know that throwing a fit over it is unacceptable.
The school agers tell them-You get what you get and you don't throw a fit!Lol
They learn quickly that throwing a tantrum gets them nothing but a time out.

ABSOLUTELY!!! I have 2 to 5-year-olds and no one requests anything.

[EntropyControlSpecialist]

I have a set of six place settings--each in a different color. They are the Ikea dishes for kids. Each kid gets his/her own color and it stays the same. Here, kids are supposed to have their own individual glasses (not shared) so I figured I'd extend that to the entire place setting.

The "color war" is not a battle I would want to have at mealtime! There is usually enough going on at this time already.

Mine must have individual glasses so I have the ikea cups and they have their names written on the side in permanent marker. I believe I have 3 sets that I rotate through or more so they don't always have the same color.

[Rachel]

I also use the ikea ones and they each have a color I assign and that is it. Never an issue, and I use their color for a lot of other things too.

[Blackcat31]

Everything here is the same color. I do have a couple "requests" for seats or cups etc but honestly, I am NOT into that kind of micro-management or appeasing kids in that manner.

You get what I give you or you get nothing. It is NOT a hard concept for anyone to figure out.

I don't have time to play those kinds of games.

We do have a line leader and a table setter and we take turns as to who's job that is from day to day.

I also take time to have the kids be called to lunch so at least once every two weeks, everyone gets a chance to be first = pick their seat first.

Otherwise, it's just not a discussion here.