Oh, Lord, help me. I have just sat my daughter on our stairs with a mouthful of sweet potato fries, peas and carrots in an attempt to get her to swallow what would be her fourth bite of dinner. I mean, I think I have officially obtained the title of "Worst Mother in the World" or at the very least "Strangest Parenting Technique". I didn't mean to make it into a battle, but there you have it. And there is just no way that I can let an almost three year old stubborn me out. I mean, I am the queen of stubborn. I live my life by "I may not always be right, but I'm right 99% of the time and there is just no way that this moment is that other 1% of the time". When I'm right, I'm right. And I'm just usually right.
See what I mean about stubbor? Four bites of dinner. It's not that there were only four bites. It's that the four bites took an hour and required spitting out of a very large mouthful of I have no idea what. And it was just gross. And I am getting so tired of gross. And she's not even three. Remind me again, what did I sign myself up for? Was I thinking a few years ago when Josh and I had that conversation about having kids and was it the right time? I'm thinking no, because I just don't think I have the patience for this.
I mean, the stairs. I stuck her on the stairs. And I made my husband go over to her (he chose to crawl across the floor like the dog) to sit on the floor and tell her that he would only sit next to her if she swallowed her food. Seriously. I am officially insane. Of course, the crawling and sitting on the floor was his idea. I had no part in that. Me? I'm the one that moved the high chair away from the window because her reflection was distracting her from the actual eating process. For Him? She swallowed that mouthful of food in 10 seconds. Just to get him to sit on the stairs next to him.
Now, the kid eats most everything. I can't truly complain about the types of food that she eats. She is not a picky eater. But when she doesn't want to eat (which has been dinner the last 3 nights in a row) she just drags it on and on and on and I turn into some kind of crazed, food obsessed, "eat your dinner there are starving children in China or Rwanda or Chicago" kind of person. I had no idea that I was going to become that kind of mom. Am I by myself in this? Are there things that your kids do that just turn you into some kind of lunatic that you never envisioned was a possibility?
I think I need to go to bed. Now. For about 12 hours. And tomorrows dinner duty is hereby assigned to Josh. Me? I think I may take myself out for a nice quiet dinner at McDonald's. Alone.
Posts
Honey, we have all had this battle. His Dr. ensures me that he will not starve and not to make it a battle. Well it irks me when he requests something and I fix it then he tells me he is done and hasn't even taken a bite. Oh and daddy can get him to eat as well. I really have to go into the other room and count to 10!!
ReplyDeleteJust tonight, I made my three year old sit at the table and finish his dinner tonight since he was the one that requested chicken nuggets. Needless to say he ate most of it, but for his punishment after his bath he went straight to bed. No movie and no bedtime stories.
As for my hubby is over at his parents watching a football game!!!!!!!
So hang in there, this is something we all are going through.
Hi-
ReplyDeleteI used to fight this battle with my first child. Now that I have 3 (and another on the way), I don't force it anymore. I will save their dinner if they don't eat it. So if later the tell me they are starving, I hand them the dinner they didn't finish. With my older to, they both know that they get no treat unless they finish their dinner at dinner time. So, if they tell me an hour later they are hungry and I give them their dinner again, and they finish it...they still don't get a treat.
Welcome Back! I have to go catch on your other posts, but wanted to read them in order.