BATTLE VEGETABLE

At lunch today we had an all out war, Grayson style. Up until this point Grayson has been a very easy eater. There hasn't really been anything that he has refused to eat and nothing that he has seemed to hate. Like most people, he has his preferences. He loves pasta, bread, fruit, and cheese. Since around 11 months Grayson has been eating whatever we have for dinner. We sit down as a family and he eats what we are eating.

I guess I should back up and explain why Grayson eating what we eat and what we give him is important to us. We believe that God gives parents a very special job to train our children up according to His way. Most important to us is that Grayson learn the love of God and the saving Grace that comes from Jesus. There are also several other lessons that we feel come with training Grayson up to be a follower of God. I am sure by now you are thinking, what in the world does this have to do with eating. Well we feel that every moment of the day is a teaching moment. Meal times are no exception. Meal times present me with the opportunity to teach some lessons we feel God has called us to teach Grayson.

1. To be thankful for what God has blessed us with.
2. To not be wasteful of the resources that God has given us.
3. To obey his parents (manners, following directions, etc.)
4. To learn to take care of the bodies God has blessed us with through healthy eating habits.
5. To understand that you don't always get what you want right when you want it. Sometime you have to wait or sometimes answer is just no and you have to accept it and trust that your parents have made that decision in your best interest. Just as God does not always give us what we want when we want it.

In addition it is important to us that Grayson understand that he will eat what is prepared at meal time. Mommy is not a short order cook and although some nights we eat foods Grayson loves (pizza) sometimes he must find contentment in eating something that is not his favorite. I know, I know that is heavy stuff for an 18 month old. Well, we also believe that the training of a child starts at day one.

It is also important that we sit down as a family and have a meal together. That is an important time to come together as a family to talk about our days and share. We want to start this now so that Grayson grows up knowing that dinner time is family time. That little tid-bit doesn't really apply to today's adventure.

On to today's new battle. A while back we noticed that if we give Grayson a full plate of all that is for dinner, he will eat what he likes and push the rest aside. For example, if we are having chicken, rice, and peas. Grayson will eat the rice and maybe a little chicken. He will either put the peas in his bib or just push them aside. Grayson likes peas. He likes all vegetables. If that is all that is offered he eats them happily. So, for a while we have been giving Grayson his vegetables first just before we sit down and then after he eats most of those he gets the rest of his servings of the things he likes.

Well today Grayson figured out my trick. At lunch he was to be served peas, corn, cheese stick, and turkey on wheat. My plan was to give him the peas and corn first then give the turkey sandwich, and lastly give the cheese. The cheese is his favorite. So, I fix his peas and corn (which he typically loves). First he dumps them out of the bowl (umm, NOT allowed). We work together to put them back in the bowl as I explain that our food belongs in the bowl and not on our table. Then Grayson begins pointing to the fridge and says "chee" (Cheese). I say, "first you must eat your vegetables and then you can have cheese". HE REFUSED!!!! Never has this happened. He sat there whining and pointing for about 15 minutes. Finally, I say okay I will get the cheese, but you must eat some peas and corn first. I get the cheese out and set it on the counter as motivation. I then say, "First eat vegetables, then eat cheese." He pushes the bowl of vegetables away, says no, and reaches for the cheese. That lets me know he totally gets what I am expecting of him and he is refusing to comply. So there we sat. I ate my lunch and he became more and more upset as each moment passed. Eventually he is screaming. I try to feed him a bite of peas and he turns away. I get the cheese, and say take a bite of peas and you can have some cheese. He pushes the spoon away. So, the cheese went back on the counter. He screamed for 15 more minutes and never ate a bite. He stopped screaming and just sat there looking at me. Finally he said done and took his bib off.

So, lunch was over. I am sure some of my reader friends are thinking, "What?!?!?!? You didn't let him eat any lunch". My response is, Grayson chose to not eat lunch. He was served things he liked and he refused to eat them. Don't get me wrong, I will never force my child to eat something he hates. If it makes him gag to try to eat it then he will not have to eat it, but he typically loves peas and today he chose not to eat his lunch. He will not starve. Snack is served 4 hours after lunch and I will probably offer snack early today since he didn't eat lunch, but guess what. . .for snack he will again be offered vegetables.

My son will not go an entire day without eating his vegetables. That is not an option in this house. They are important for providing the vitamins and minerals he needs to be healthy. I bet at snack time he will be hungry enough to eat them and then he will get to enjoy a cheese stick. Then again, maybe we will go for Round 2. We shall see.

I do know that God will give me the strength, guidance, and patience to handle this the way that I need to and on the other side of this Grayson will have learned another important lesson.