10 Year Old Son Worried About Spoiled Food

I think it is the age group, I have a son that will be 10 in May and he does the same thing and I am a chef! I tell him if I have to try it then he has to try it and then he can form an opinion to say if it is bad or not. It takes some stern talking but the majority of the time after he tastes it, he likes it and that will get under my skin as well because he took me thru all that and turns out he likes it. Otherwise I just ignore it all together and he will chime down because he realizes that he is not getting a rise out of me. Just a suggestion.

I think its normal just a phase I have a younger cousin that was the same way he is your son's age now. He once poured an entire gallon of milk down the drain because it was about to "expire" meaning it was 2 days from the date on the jug. He has done this mainly on dairy products and before he eats sometimes he will "inspect" his food very closely. That was 2 years ago and he has grown out of that phase and doesn't care any more. So it could be a phase.

I'm sure he has heard something on TV or at school, I think if you don't make a big deal out of it he will forget about it after a while. He probably doesn't feel like eating so is super critical, wait until he gets into a growth spurt (probably pretty soon) he will eat without thinking about it again. Sometimes our reactions will prolong a behavior and maybe make it worse. As for your cooking remember he's grown up on your food, so to him it's everyday stuff, some kids just won't try new stuff. My son wouldn't until his 5th grade teacher made buffalo stew, he loved it and decided maybe he was missing out by being so picky, now he'll try almost anything.
Just don't make a big deal out of things, don't let him throw out anything that you don't want him to, it's up to you whether he eats what you do or makes his own sandwich or something when he won't eat what you do, he won't starve himself, he will eventually eat something that you offer. He could be just enjoying your reaction, so make it no big deal and be happy that he is becoming his own unique person.

I'm very glad to read about the other responders' family members who have grown out of this phase! I'll be watching for it when it's out turn.

Your son's attitude would definitely be annoying, and I would suggest telling him that you are in charge in the kitchen. Period. If he doesn't want to eat what you trust to be okay, then he will go hungry. It might be a very good time to include him in weekly meal planning and menu selection (a good weekend activity, when you can shop together), and then he can learn some cooking skills and gain experience. You would still be the captain of the ship, so to speak, but his knowledge about food would probably help him relax about the details.

My oldest daughter was that way with washing hands...she learned in school in health class about germs and washing hands...we were at Disney World and would wait forever for her to come out of the bathroom because she would wash her hands for what seemed like 5 minutes. She did that for the longest time. She still washes, but just not as long, thank goodness. It could be a phase, and it may not. Have a therapist check him out, schools usually have one and they are free. Good luck and God Bless.

I think it does sound like a form of OCD. Actually I saw the show on A&E (Obsessed or Obsession or something like that) where a woman was very similar to what your son sounds like.

I would take him to a psychiatrist, counselor, etc just to see if he will talk to them. Maybe he is just very picky or doesn't like the taste of certain things, but for him to always be worried that it's spoiled is a different story.

Good luck!

Maybe if he's critical you can have him make dinner for you guys!

I think it sounds like it. I have it too. I am like that with food. He may have a germ problem and afraid of getting sick. Which is my problem. please have him talk to someone so he doesn't get worse and can get over it now. Good luck to you.

Let me know what you find out.

Updated

I think it sounds like it. I have it too. I am like that with food. He may have a germ problem and afraid of getting sick. Which is my problem. please have him talk to someone so he doesn't get worse and can get over it now. Good luck to you.

Let me know what you find out.

I know you posted this awhile ago, but I just saw it now, and I wanted to add a comment along a different line in case this is also what is happening. Different people have different levels of taste buds. There are such things as "super tasters" who are even more extreme (I know because I am one of them). Sometimes if you are in a museum they'll have the experiment where some people can taste the flavoring that is on a piece of paper (it tastes like poison by the way) and others simply think it tastes like a piece of paper. Not all people who taste the flavoring are actually "super tasters", but this experiment shows you that there are all levels of ability to sense taste. Super tasters are even more extreme in their ability. I haven't googled "super tasters" in awhile, but when I did before I found a few articles. One of them said that a lot of the sense of taste actually comes from smell - I know I can tell EXACTLY what something is going to taste like just by smelling it. Children's taste buds are even more sensitive than adults. So - having said all that - what I am suggesting is that he may be tasting things that you don't taste. I know that I absolutely positively will taste milk going bad way before the date on the carton and I won't drink it. My husband will taste it (by the way, he couldn't taste the poison on the paper either) and say its fine, so he'll drink the rest of the gallon. I have one daughter who is a super taster and one who is not. It's really obvious in their diet choices. The nontaster will eat lots of fruit - berries especially. To me and my supertaster daughter, the berries are horrendous! So be open to the possibility that it is not an OCD - that he is truly tasting these foods differently than you. The fact that he smells his food (which I'm sure is telling him how it will taste) and only dares to take small bites - which you would too if you could taste things strongly - tells me it is a real possibility that he is a super taster (and likely that you and your husband are nontasters).