Now as many mommy's discover there is that phase in our little one's life that for some reason they become picky eater's and you find yourself becoming a short order cook in your kitchen just to avoid the cataclysmic tantrum that will ensue if lord forbid the wrong item ends up on their plate.
Don't sit there and tell me that your child ALWAYS eats what you serve, because hello I would always clean my plate too if you offered me only my favorite foods too. I have been there in the kitchen during a day from Haiti and trying to make sure the youngest daughter had her plate which holds foods separate from each other so that they don't mingle, the oldest had a completely vegetarian dinner, and that the middle daughter didn't by chance spot the fact that I had slipped pureed cauliflower into her mashed potato's. You may laugh but if you have ever had to break up a riot over cauliflower on a child's plate you TOTALLY get were I am coming from! I mean ladies here I was the Boss (bahahahaha) and yet I had always bragged about how my children always ate everything on their plates while friends would tell me about the stubborn Lil 5 year old who had a full on standoff at the dinner table with them over peas on their plate!
It was at the moment that my assembly line had began on preparing their dinner I realized that there needs to be a change in the way things are done in my Lil kitchen. I hate to break their Lil hearts but if you ever endure a lunch with a picky eating adult you will understand how terrible and almost rude it comes across. I mean salad dressing on the side is one thing, but refusing to eat anything new is not OK for anyone.
Now I am not saying that the transition was easy and painless I mean to be completely honest I would have rather been attacked by a mountain lion that first week. It was really a scene from the Twilight Zone the first meal that they all sat down to and discovered that they all had the same food, and that no mommy had not supplied the mac and cheese with a hotdog cut like an octopus please on their plate. (ya guilty I have done that) At first they looked at the plate as if it was a mythical creature that may very well attack them, then it began. Miss Rori proclaimed "Um so you know I don't like mushroom's right?", which was followed by Miss Aubry "K so I don't eat things that look like this" (pointing at shepherds pie) and my favorite of all was when the oldest stated "OK so you want us to eat so we can grow right? " Ah it had begun and in all reality OJ would have been set if he had my daughter's for his lawyers because those girls are the most convincing and manipulating Lil gems out there!
We then of course moved to crying, refusing to eat, and full on "Fine I will just DIE! Since you won't let me eat what I like!" This was wonderful and a HUGE boost on the mommy self-esteem train. I swear to you I called my besti Shelly and was in tears and fighting the urge to go in the kitchen and make them what they wanted by the 4th day of the dinner stand off. She of course having been there and done that informed me they would survive, and not to worry.
And I will tell you it was on the 5th day that I wanted to cave just to have peace at our dinner table! It was another rousing I never liked it or you dinner, were I might add I did not hand them arsenic dusted doughnuts! It was just chicken fettuccine, Caesar salad, and french bread! I mean you could have sworn that I was trying to get them to eat snails! From the gagging, tear shedding, my life is ending, you child abusing monster accusations that flew at that meal well they were enough to tear down the wall of china not to mention my will power!
So being the nice and I am so sorry I ever hurt your life source mommy I am I made them up their favorite sandwich's just the way they liked and was marching to the oldest bedroom were they had gathered I was sure to discuss the take down of mom and her evil ways. It was when I reached the closed door that I heard giggling and what sounded like a gay ol time. Here I thought they would be crying and complaining over the lack of food in their stomachs. But no instead I hear Aubry say "Here do you want the rainbow goldfish or the Parmesan?" Then I hear the oldest say "Cheese stick? I have M&M's for dessert too!"
Shut the front door! These little mites had began their full on recon mission to debunk the food rules with the wittingly use of snack foods! I mean seriously who does that? So when I opened the door I was shocked to see the mini picnic that they had assembled on the floor! They were not going to bed hungry! Hell to the no! They had enough snack foods to feed a Tibetan village and here I had lost 4 nights of sleep thinking that they had been sent to bed with out dinner!
It is moments like these folks that you either give them credit silently of course for their ingenious ways, or you get all sorts of mad because they have undermined you, and used your snack pantry to do so! Now of course I had to have a little time to breathe and well post their evil little booty's on eBay and craigslist, so I took a mommy time out.
After recovering from the dinner slash we own your booty situation I had a full on mean mommy discussion with them on the reasons that they needed to eat what they were given and not argue this due to the fact there are starving children on Mar's that would kill for the home cooked meals I make. This of course worked a little but to be honest there are still nights that Rori will be served chili and she will kindly remind me she isn't a fan of beans, or Lil man will tell me he never liked soup and will die or be sick if forced to eat it with the dramatic fall to the floor and tongue out of the mouth display by the dinner table.
But ladies be strong! My children are not abused due to having to eat things they are not particularly fond of and they have in time come to love foods that they didn't in the past. We as mother's need to also take this stand to keep our sanity as well as our position of disciplinarian, mother, and caregiver in their eyes. I am not saying go all Mommy Dearest on them with a raw steak and such, but make sure that they understand that the more you try new foods, it opens up more foods that you can eat and enjoy!
Don't sit there and tell me that your child ALWAYS eats what you serve, because hello I would always clean my plate too if you offered me only my favorite foods too. I have been there in the kitchen during a day from Haiti and trying to make sure the youngest daughter had her plate which holds foods separate from each other so that they don't mingle, the oldest had a completely vegetarian dinner, and that the middle daughter didn't by chance spot the fact that I had slipped pureed cauliflower into her mashed potato's. You may laugh but if you have ever had to break up a riot over cauliflower on a child's plate you TOTALLY get were I am coming from! I mean ladies here I was the Boss (bahahahaha) and yet I had always bragged about how my children always ate everything on their plates while friends would tell me about the stubborn Lil 5 year old who had a full on standoff at the dinner table with them over peas on their plate!
It was at the moment that my assembly line had began on preparing their dinner I realized that there needs to be a change in the way things are done in my Lil kitchen. I hate to break their Lil hearts but if you ever endure a lunch with a picky eating adult you will understand how terrible and almost rude it comes across. I mean salad dressing on the side is one thing, but refusing to eat anything new is not OK for anyone.
Now I am not saying that the transition was easy and painless I mean to be completely honest I would have rather been attacked by a mountain lion that first week. It was really a scene from the Twilight Zone the first meal that they all sat down to and discovered that they all had the same food, and that no mommy had not supplied the mac and cheese with a hotdog cut like an octopus please on their plate. (ya guilty I have done that) At first they looked at the plate as if it was a mythical creature that may very well attack them, then it began. Miss Rori proclaimed "Um so you know I don't like mushroom's right?", which was followed by Miss Aubry "K so I don't eat things that look like this" (pointing at shepherds pie) and my favorite of all was when the oldest stated "OK so you want us to eat so we can grow right? " Ah it had begun and in all reality OJ would have been set if he had my daughter's for his lawyers because those girls are the most convincing and manipulating Lil gems out there!
We then of course moved to crying, refusing to eat, and full on "Fine I will just DIE! Since you won't let me eat what I like!" This was wonderful and a HUGE boost on the mommy self-esteem train. I swear to you I called my besti Shelly and was in tears and fighting the urge to go in the kitchen and make them what they wanted by the 4th day of the dinner stand off. She of course having been there and done that informed me they would survive, and not to worry.
And I will tell you it was on the 5th day that I wanted to cave just to have peace at our dinner table! It was another rousing I never liked it or you dinner, were I might add I did not hand them arsenic dusted doughnuts! It was just chicken fettuccine, Caesar salad, and french bread! I mean you could have sworn that I was trying to get them to eat snails! From the gagging, tear shedding, my life is ending, you child abusing monster accusations that flew at that meal well they were enough to tear down the wall of china not to mention my will power!
So being the nice and I am so sorry I ever hurt your life source mommy I am I made them up their favorite sandwich's just the way they liked and was marching to the oldest bedroom were they had gathered I was sure to discuss the take down of mom and her evil ways. It was when I reached the closed door that I heard giggling and what sounded like a gay ol time. Here I thought they would be crying and complaining over the lack of food in their stomachs. But no instead I hear Aubry say "Here do you want the rainbow goldfish or the Parmesan?" Then I hear the oldest say "Cheese stick? I have M&M's for dessert too!"
Shut the front door! These little mites had began their full on recon mission to debunk the food rules with the wittingly use of snack foods! I mean seriously who does that? So when I opened the door I was shocked to see the mini picnic that they had assembled on the floor! They were not going to bed hungry! Hell to the no! They had enough snack foods to feed a Tibetan village and here I had lost 4 nights of sleep thinking that they had been sent to bed with out dinner!
It is moments like these folks that you either give them credit silently of course for their ingenious ways, or you get all sorts of mad because they have undermined you, and used your snack pantry to do so! Now of course I had to have a little time to breathe and well post their evil little booty's on eBay and craigslist, so I took a mommy time out.
After recovering from the dinner slash we own your booty situation I had a full on mean mommy discussion with them on the reasons that they needed to eat what they were given and not argue this due to the fact there are starving children on Mar's that would kill for the home cooked meals I make. This of course worked a little but to be honest there are still nights that Rori will be served chili and she will kindly remind me she isn't a fan of beans, or Lil man will tell me he never liked soup and will die or be sick if forced to eat it with the dramatic fall to the floor and tongue out of the mouth display by the dinner table.
But ladies be strong! My children are not abused due to having to eat things they are not particularly fond of and they have in time come to love foods that they didn't in the past. We as mother's need to also take this stand to keep our sanity as well as our position of disciplinarian, mother, and caregiver in their eyes. I am not saying go all Mommy Dearest on them with a raw steak and such, but make sure that they understand that the more you try new foods, it opens up more foods that you can eat and enjoy!
