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Funny, I thought it was a money thing. My kids would be just as happy ordering off the menu, but they only eat about ten bites of food per meal and I'm not about to order a $20 entree for them. I would love to make them a small plate with some of my/their dad's food, but then I feel cheap.

So I order the pasta and butter for 4.95 or whatever and then give them food off my plate.

My friends who have kids never order off the kiddy menu, they just make a smaller plate of parts of their meals for their kid to eat from. As Julianna says, it makes no sense to order an expensive entree when the kid's not going to eat even half of it (though I don't know why you'd feel cheap about making a small plate of your own food for them, fight the power! :) and my friends are pretty anal about not letting the kids eat too much fried/processed food, which really is all there seems to be on those kid menus.

I'm sure they wouldn't mind ordering from a kiddie menu that offered healthier options.

Total lifesaver. Seriously. Restaurant food is a treat for my son. He happily digs into a plate of chicken fingers and french fries, or grilled cheese sandwich, and my husband and I can actually have a conversation while we eat.

I offer my son a balanced diet at home, so I don't sweat about the occasional french fries out.

But if he's not that hungry, or if there isn't a children's menu, I don't feel at all bad about making him a smaller plate off of my plate, especially if it's someplace that serves huge portions.

I should say that if/when I had one kid, I'd just make a smaller plate out of mine. But with the second and third, I felt like I had to order something!

And I'm with Birdy: french fries at restaraunts, chicken fingers at Yankee Stadium, Domino's at a birthday party ... not the usual but you've got to pick your battles.

I wish more restaurants would offer half portions.

I don't hate that french fries come with all the meals, it would just be nice if there were some other choices-a vegetable, some pasta, etc. And the amount of fries is always more in line with an adult's serving! We try to find something acceptable on the appetizer list, or ask for a side dish and give our children some things off our plate. Restaurants have always been an opportunity to try new things, even just one bite. So when the restaurants all offer the same kids' menu (chicken strips, pizza, spaghetti), it ruins that chance. I find I just stop going to those restaurants with kids. And my kids do like sushi.

Loved the article.

totally agree with pelicolina. i wish more places would offer half-portions. and the article was a very witty, entertaining read.

i think a larger interesting point the article made is that offering the same kiddie fare at restaurants *isn't* necessarily letting kids eat what they want. it's telling them what they want, and encouraging them to stick with the blandness they know instead of trying out new stuff.

I grew up being one of those kids that would try anything once. By the time I was 5, I had eaten tripe, brains and liver so for me, it was so important that my 3-year-old son didn't grow up to be one of those kids who only ate the same thing every time without ever trying anything else.

Usually when we go out, he'll get his own plate but it will be similar to what we're eating. If we're at a Mexican restaurant, he'll eat tacos; Italian, he'll have pasta. His favorite food is sushi.

I want him to know that the world has an entire culture of cuisine to be explored. That being said, half-portions would be a blessing and the ideal kids' menu.

When my son was younger, I worked for a year as a restaurant critic - and at the time, wished more restaurants had kids' menus. I was always relieved when there was something kid-friendly offered. The end result of that year is that he got into the idea of reviewing his food and started to insist on experimenting. Reverse psychology worked unintentionally here... I tried to deny him the grownup menu and he wanted it more. He doesn't always like what he orders but he still has fun trying new stuff. His grandpa stil hasn't gotten over him ordering steak and lobster when he took him out for lunch, though (and no, he didn't like the lobster that much).

My daughter isn't old enough to even eat a whole kids meal entree yet, so she gets portions off our plates. With my nephews, it's a different story. I sometimes wish there was no kid's menu so I could just say to them, sorry, there's no kids meal (ie: no burger, fries, and/or toys). Then, they would have to pick a salad or quesadilla, etc. I could lie about it if only all restaurants had the kids meal printed on the regular menu, instead of handing them out with those damn crayons that always roll away....

I HATED getting a kids' menu when I was a child. I felt insulted by the waiter's assumption that I wanted a hot dog or something instead of regular grown-up food. My parents were happy to let me order my own plate off the regular menu, and I'm glad they did--it's good to try new things!