Jinx

Just when we were moving along smoothly things STOPPED!  Milan and I knew it was bound to happen and it has.  What am I talking about?  I am talking about eating habits!  Only two weeks ago I could have won an award for having the best eater in the 1 year old category.  Seriously the kid was chowing everything in sight.  I just knew in the back of my mind it wasn’t going to last.  Milan was so excited about Eli’s massive appetite he went as far as to comment about it on Facebook. I do believe it was right then and there that he jinxed us!  Eli turns his nose up at everything now.  Unless it is cheese, yogurt, or crackers he won’t it eat.  What happened to the salmon, black beans, veggies, even fruit??  I have so many friends with children older than Eli that I was prepared for the eating game but I wish it would have held off a little longer. 

My personal parenting motto (stolen from some other Mom in passing) is this…

“I will parent without letting my emotions control my reaction!”

This is much easier said than done but I really am working on it.  It is so easy to get upset when your child doesn’t want to eat (or do other things you know they should do).  Especially when you know they should be hungry and you have offered them food you know (well knew at one time) that they’d like. 

If you ask Eli if he is ready to eat he will run to his chair and try to climb up.  However the minute he sits down he refuses to eat.  He throws it all on the floor.  If he does take a bite he chews it until it is all nice and gross and then proceeds to spit it out down the front of his shirt.  Are you thinking, “then put a bib on him Jen!”? Don’t think I haven’t thought of that!!!  Like socks, shoes, and coats Eli refuses to wear a bib.  I know I know “Just make him do it.  Don’t give him a choice.”  Ha! I dare you to try making Eli do anything.

This is where my quote comes in handy.  I could react with emotion in these situations.  I could force him to sit in his chair, wear a bib, and eat what I cooked for him all the while listening to him kick and scream because I want to be in control OR I can calmly remove him from the situation and tell myself he will not starve to death.  I have tried both and quickly found that eating is the very first thing in a toddler’s world that he has control over.  Of course he is going to try to exercise his right to choose.

It is very hard as a parent, especially a type A parent like myself, to sit back and not have things exactly as planned.  Dinnertime can be a very busy even stressful time of day so I have decided to not let my emotions control my parenting.  I don’t get stressed if Eli chooses to throw everything on the floor or spit it all back out at me.  Now I just laugh and say it’s ok I know it’s just a phase.  This too shall pass!

Luckily I snapped this picture of my sweet boy on a good night at dinnertime!