I try to be a good mom. I try hard actually. Lots of days I have to remind myself that my kids are um, KIDS! This reminder is usually helpful when I want them to organize their toys, write better and not be so loud. However today I didn't just raise my voice to get their attention or in annoyance, I yelled! I was mad and I let them have it.
So here is the deal. My kids eat like birds. No, forget that they eat like half a bird. It is frustrating to find foods to put int heir lunches that will entice them to eat more than one bite, without filling said lunches with junk food.
Then on top of getting them to eat the food is the challenge of getting them to shut their traps long enough to chew and swallow. Lunch time at school is a social event of epic proportions. They can't possibly be expected to eat that fast when their first grade minds have such fascinating discussions to have. And it isn't like they had time to talk before while outside playing. No, that time is for chasing each other - no talking.
Today I asked them what to put in their lunches so that they would EAT. They picked out the kind of cheese, the kind of sandwich, crackers, fruit roll ups, jello and then a quarter for milk. I go to open their lunch boxes to clean out any left over food and they looked like brand new lunches. They both ate the jello ( a whopping 10 calories in that- that I am sure they burned off talking). Sam ate the fruit roll up at lunch and his jello as a snack later. Toby ate a a few bites of his cheese stick and a few sips of milk. Sam pocketed the quarter to put with the quarter from yesterday to buy a sticker from the sticker machine. Don't even get me started on that beast. Grrr.
So I lost it. I was mad, angry, pissed, irked and I'm pretty sure I had steam coming out of my ears. Why was I so mad? First they barely eat breakfast. Then they come home from school starving, and hit up the snacks. Finally come dinner time they pick at their food and then want 2 desserts because they are SOOOO HUNGRY. They always say they didn't have enough time to eat while at lunch. I asked them if I should request they sit alone facing the wall at lunch. Yeah I said it. Not my finest moment, but one that reeks of things moms say because, hey we are moms.
I made Toby cry. Sam looked scared. And I don't feel bad for it. After dinner they immediately asked for dessert and I said no.
"Why mom?"
"Well because you chose not to eat your lunch, I am not letting you have dessert."
"But that was lunch and we ate or dinner."
"Yeah you did, but you have to have some consequence for not eating your lunch."
Sam said he was still hungry.
I replied with "You ate dinner, guess you should have eaten more."
"Well I would have if I knew we wouldn't get dessert."
Not really helping his case is he?
Jeff had a great idea, that if they do it again - the not eating their lunch thing- to have them eat it after school or for dinner. The thing that worries me is how their little brains and bodies can keep up at school if they don't have any fuel. Biff suggested I go sit with them and make them eat. It may just come to that, if only to show them that they do have enough time to eat if they settle their social butterfly down!
Tomorrow is another day. I am thinking of putting just a sandwich and a bottle of water in their lunchboxes. Maybe we will start small and work our way into more variety. Maybe they will eat it. Maybe they will starve.
1 comment:
I have this same fight with Melody, my oldest, all she wants is junk. Every few weeks she goes without dessert and has only a sandwich and veggies in her lunch because she won't eat breakfast and has only eaten the junkie out of her lunch. KILLS me!
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