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In Defense of Easy Cheese (and other deep thoughts about imperfect parents)

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I’m not a perfect mom, and I’m pretty sure I’ve never met one before.  But still, we continue to judge each other online, saying things that I’m sure we would never say to each other face to face.


Recently, I was made fun of on Twitter because I mentioned I let my kid eat Easy Cheese.

My son is a picky eater and doesn’t like most meats.  Easy Cheese has 4 grams of protein per serving, almost 1/4 of his daily protein needs.  Adam is in the 10th percentile for weight, so the calories and fat content are not really an issue for him right now.  The top ingredients in Easy Cheese are whey, cheddar cheese, canola oil, milk protein concentrate, milk, whey protein concentrate.

Speaking of meat, Adam tried Little Smokies and LIKED them!  This was a huge victory for us.  It brought his “acceptable” meat total up to 5: bacon, turkey pepperoni, shrimp, chicken nuggets and Little Smokies.

I was over the moon excited.  I posted this photo with the caption "Little smokies, big success! He likes 5 kinds of meat now: bacon, smokies, chicken nuggets, shrimp and French fries. Oops. Guess that's only 4."  

One of the first comments was this:
chicken nuggets......not exactly "meat"  i would say the same for smokies. i cant even look at them because i remember eating them once at school for lunch, i took a bite and got gristle and bone. relationship: over.

Again, I was judged for the foods I feed my children. 


I’m sure neither of my critics would claim to be perfect parents.  Maybe those moms don’t feed their kids Easy Cheese and almost-meats.  Maybe they let them play violent video games or watch too much TV instead.  Maybe they swear in front of their kids.  Maybe they are too permissive, or too strict, or too distracted.  I’m sure there’s something they haven’t done perfectly in their time as a parent.

But here’s the deal:

It’s OKAY to give your kids Easy Cheese occasionally.  
It’s okay to let your kids spend all day in front of the tv some days, every once in awhile. 
It’s okay to skip bedtime books from time-to-time.
It’s okay to be an imperfect parent in this imperfect world…

So quit pointing out other parents’ flaws online.  Quit assuming that you know the whole story.  Quit pretending that someone else’s parenting failures are worse than your own.

Just quit the judging.

Would you like to comment?

  1. You're amazing! It's challenging to put it all out there as a blogger. Much love!

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  2. You are so right! I recently witnessed a Facebook war after someone I know claimed that "nothing Aldi (grocery stores) sells had any nutritional value whatsoever." Imagine how all the budget minded Aldi shopping moms felt this reflected on them! Plus (whether or not you like Aldi's food) it's not true. Think before you write (or speak), people.

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    1. I always shock my friends that adore Trader Joe's with a sickening passion that Aldi's owner also owns TJ's. I love Aldi's.

      Katie, I am sorry that people go out of their way to make sure you feel bad about feeling good. I say YAY! Your son decided to TRY another form of food. He might even try something else again or new the next time you ask him. There is nothing wrong with your parenting, because it's what works for YOU!


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  3. It's funny that you should write this just as we polished off an old can of Easy Cheese we found buried in the back of our cupboard:) I think moderation is the key to almost everything. People who take things to extremes drive me nuts. I like your perspective on parenting.

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    1. Yep - my husband and i generally agree that if you're at either extreme end of an argument, you're probably wrong. :)

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  4. I don't like Easy Cheese (although i'm sure my kids would), but I love hot dogs in all forms, including little smokies. And we had donuts for breakfast this morning! I can't worry about the parenting/food police--thank goodness they don't have enforcement power!

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  5. REALLY?! I can't imagine how people think they can be so critical. Parenting is challenging enough without criticism. Offering other things he might like would be helpful. Putting down food he does like and will eat...not so helpful. Carry on (imperfect like the rest of us) mom!!! Kudos!! ;)

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  7. AAAAAAAAMEN sista. People are SO opinionated!

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  8. I am in the same boat with small little peanuts that barely make the chart. And it is a small victory when they like foods high in calories and protein! I would be over the moon too if one of my boys liked little smokies. Imperfect mom right here. Keep doing what your doing! Your little boys are precious!

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    1. Thanks, Lindsay. I know what you mean about getting excited when they gain weight!

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  9. Love this!! Yes, stop judging! Have you read my recent post "Are You the Food Police?"

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  10. Kids are kids... I'm tired of the food police and my children are now adults. They all went thru stages of things they disliked, and I allowed it. They have grown up to be healthy adults who enjoy a wide variety of foods. So moms..... do what you feel is best for your child and don't allow social media dictate your parenting.

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