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Wednesday, February 6, 2008

45 Minutes...

...That's how long our "power struggle" lasted before Kallen gave in and ate his lunch yesterday. Now, I understand that many of you out there have had similar meal time battles, that may have even lasted longer than our short bout...but do understand, that for us...45 minutes was an eternity!

You see...Kallen tends to be a 2 second eater, and in fact, I'm pretty sure he may hold a record for the shortest amount of time sitting in his seat for a meal before he is done! If we get two bites out of him, it's a good meal! People ask me, "is he a picky eater", and the answer used to be "no". He will take a bite of almost anything you put in front of him, but that may be it...a bite. I never thought of it as him being picky, until a recent lightbulb went on.

Sometime the beginning of January, he started pushing his plates away saying "I no like it". Sometimes he would take a bite, and sometimes just look at the food, before pronouncing his disgust. I tried every food possible to see what he might like, and no matter what was put in front of him, the response was the same "I no like it".

Kallen mind you has a choice for breakfast and lunch. When he gets hungry, he comes to me and says "I need eat...me pick". (There for a while I thought maybe he wasn't hungry the times I thought he ought to be eating, so now he lets me know when he's hungry and that's when he eats). Dinner is dinner, and we eat as a family, so he has no choice there, but the rest of the day is all his!

Well...I've gotten so tired of throwing away food after he asks for it, that I finally got fed up, and put my foot down. (I know, I know...I'm a little slow). Anyways. He went to the fridge and asked for an egg. No problem. It was a hardboiled egg, so I cut it open and turned it into a deviled egg (one of his favorite things). Well...as soon as I got it made he started throwing a fit that he wanted to pick something else...No way mister...sit and eat your egg! So, I put him at the table, egg in front of him, and went on my merry way. He basically screamed at the top of his lungs for 45 straight minutes that he "didn't like it" and shouting "no", when I told him he could get down as soon as he ate the egg! One silly little egg!

I kept ignoring him, and finally about minute 44 or so...he gave in. He wasn't happy about "losing" the battle, but it was obvious I wasn't letting him off the hook! Man...Just eat kiddo!!!

Blessings,

4 comments:

Aleah said...

Good job to you and Kallen too for finally eating his egg!

I hate times like that.
We have plenty of them between all. It pays off in the end though doesn't it!

Laura said...

Way to stick to it Mommy!!!!! I know it is hard but it will be soooo worth it:)

Kallen: Good job for eating the egg!

Lani said...

Our record is 2.5 hours. Yes, Andrew sat there for that long refusing to eat what HE had asked for. Now, we almost never have that battle (he needs an occasional reminder...) so it DOES pay off. Keep it up! You're an awesome momma and you have great kiddos!

Jodiferkay said...

Way to hand in there and stick with it!