Each one of my kids is so different. This one right here…is a pistol. Jonah has a soft heart. He is a hard worker with a hard head. He is twice the size of the rest of the kids his age. He has he worst case of middle childitis I have ever seen. He is a lover, a seeker of attention, a giver, a sweet boy…and a picky eater!
Jo-Jo arrived in a blizzard a few days early, a few days before Christmas. He latched on right away! So easy to nurse him. He would eat, burp, poo, repeat! He went to the tickle up (tippy cup) really well. He never ate baby food…he would shudder and spit and lock his jaw. He wanted real people food. Mashed potato, carrots and cheese and fruit. I am not sure when it started…
At first I thought he was just going through a “beige” period. I played along. I knew what he liked. I like to cook and I cook 3 meals a day for 5 people–not 5 meals 3 times a day. I have tried to ignore, bribe, punish, encourage, camouflage. I started adding a bit of what he doesn’t like into what he does. He will find the 3 peas or 6 springs of parsley and dig them out. He licks the plate clean when he loves something and plays the worst kind of games when he doesn’t. It’s like going through the stages of grief each night at supper.
I feel like every night is a battle of will. Jonah’s list of acceptable food is short. Baked chicken legs, steak, shrimp. Noodles, boiled potatoes, corn, raw carrots, celery, cooked brocoli, asparagus. Period. No sauce, no mixing, no touching, no variation. He cries when I make chicken and dumplings, begs for death if I put sauce and meatballs on his spaghetti and would rather die than eat pot roast or gravy. Boiled eggs for breakfast–only, ever boiled.
A few months ago he started with the stirring the food around to look like he is eating it. He is tearing it up into little pieces and dropping it on the floor. He runs to the bathroom to “pee” (spit it out). It is driving me crazy!
I don’t worry about his growth and development. His height and weight are off the charts and his vocabulary is staggering. I worry about what he is missing. The adventure of eating, the experience. I want his life to be free and full of flavor. I see his future and it has ramen, saltines and chicken nuggets written all over it. I hate that he fears dinnertime. I hate that he eats his boogers and not my suppers!
I know I can’t give up. I also know that these little men have hard heads. Kids can’t control much–but they control what goes in and when it comes out…Failure is not an option…What battles have to be won?
My other two stooges are munching on pomegranate seeds, mussels, cauliflower, breakfast burritos, black walnuts, sharp cheddar cheese and olives.
I found a gray eyebrow this morning…it had Jonah written all over it!
These are my thoughts…what do you think?
Sincerely, Sara
