I love to cook, but I don't really understand the mindset of people who cook something different for themselves and their children.

I have always made my children eat what I make for myself and my husband. When I was a single parent I never had the time or the money to make multiple dishes. <br><br>I expect my kids to eat what I have made, although I try to make something a little something on the side if I am making something I know they don't like. <br><br>I remember my best friends telling me that they always cook the same meal for their family and kids, and the kids have to eat it. One of them said: "I don't serve anyone else. Just all of us." It makes sense. <br><br>I have a friend from wealthy European country who says that her mother always made something different for her when she was a child because she is a "picky eater". She is a picky eater as an adult too. <br><br>I never made anything different for my kids unless they specifically told me that they were allergic to something, in which case I avoided it completely. <br><br>I have always thought about cooking like this. My husband said that when he was a child, he and his sister would go to bed hungry if they didn't finish their meal. <br><br>I remember a story about my fathers childhood where he was forced to eat nothing but dinner leftovers from the night before until it was gone. I don't know if it's true but it was supposed to teach him to stop being a picky eater and finish his food. <br><br>I remember one time my children were at a friends house and they only served dinner. I asked my kids if they were fed and they said yes, but they said they didn't really like what she made. I took them to get some fast food afterward. <br><br>I'm curious as to why parents make separate meals for their kids and don't care if they finish eating.