4.9.09

Dear Brigham,

One day I hope you are cursed with a child who is as stubborn and picky an eater as you are.  I will never forget sitting at the table with your brother while we heard from the bedroom:  spank #1..."Briggie are you going to eat it?"....spank #2..."Now will you eat it Briggie?"....spank #3....it took four spanks to break you.  You have been spanked only a handful of times in your life- all the other times for doing something dangerous to your immediate health and well-being.  We don't like to think of ourselves as spankers, but when your eating repertoire dwindled to about five foods, Daddy felt it was time for drastic measures.  I condoned it, I don't mind saying.  Only because you would not be bribed, bullied or cajoled into eating your dinner.  Spinach feta risotto, I think it was.  That was kind of a mean thing to serve a four-year-old wasn't it?  

Well, your spanking days are, I hope, well behind you and yet you remain a picky eater.  Last night I made Thai roasted eggplant salad.  You sat at the table for an hour and a half.  I sent your brother to sit by you and eat candy corn from a bowl, hoping that would motivate you.  The rest of us went outside to play croquet on the lawn and still you sat.  Finally I allowed you to join us, but there would be no food unless and until you ate your dinner.  You would not touch it.  

Around 5:00 this morning you came into our room and announced, pitifully: "I threw up."  My heart ached a bit when I saw that all you had in your stomach was about a half a cup of slimy green bile.  You slept all morning, finally waking up around 11:00 and demanding gatorade and/or rice milk.  I snagged Marley by the foot as she crawled by on her way to some mischief in the kitchen and we headed to Kroger, where, you said you had seen rice milk many times and you could direct me to the exact isle that housed it.  When we got to the stop light I noticed the "Mexican pupuseria/taqueria/convenience store" on the corner and pulled in.  We purchased some horchata mix and headed home.  

You drank your mexican rice milk slowly, as instructed and then began to do what you always do when you recover from the stomach flu: wax poetic about food.  All kinds of food you would never consider eating if you hadn't just starved for twenty four hours.  Once I was chopping an onion and you asked me for a piece of it.  This morning I vetoed your first five suggestions because we either didn't have them or they didn't exist (like "cheesy cereal").  We finally settled on "fried toast overflowing with butter".  You had one large piece and are now asking for a second. 

Something tells me tonight you'll be back to your old ways, sitting slumped in your chair, mouth clamped, digging in for a long night of negotiations over the amount and composition of your dinner.  But it's been nice to have your alter-ego here for a few hours.  I'm really going to miss him.

6 comments:

E B said...

Love it! Sarah is picky too- bribery still works for now, she being only 2. I hope we don't have to resort to spanking, but if we did, I also would be all for it! Great new pictures :)
Hey, I'd like your Thai eggplant recipe. Seriously.

cindy baldwin said...

Oh Katie... go talk to my mom. I was the world's pickiest eater. I got over it, though, eventually, mostly.

Cailean said...

Forgive me, Katie, but I feel for Brigham. He reminds me of Nathan as a kid. Apparently he refused to eat meat (and most things) from age 3 until his mission. He eventually learned to try new things. But his pickiness was just part of what made him who he was and who he still is at times. If it's part of who Brigham is, nothing you do will change it. He might remember and resent these efforts to force him to change. He'll change in his own time.

Laura said...

Harrison finally reached 28 lbs...at age 3...food has alwasy been an issue !!! I LOVE the pics...so now I have to drool over yours! I love the one you are using for your title! We have got to get some done! I am so exciting about all the chickens!! So glad to know your babies are doing well :)!

Cindy said...

Cindy Lynn was an excruciatingly picky eater. At age 1 (besides being nursed) she ate only cheerios, doritos, and pizza crust. I kid you not. It was miserable and we really had to force her to try any new foods. Meals were miserable for years. I remember chasing her all over a picnic to make her try zucchini bread! She still doesn't like anything tomato-ish, but she is a much better eater than I would have expected.

Rachel is also a picky eater. (Which was unexpected to me--we could blame CL's pickiness on being sick so much in that time period when kids are usually learning to eat--Rachel has no excuse!) What is interesting and frustrating to me is that Rachel is becoming more picky. Her "taste bugs" can decide they don't like something one day that they liked fine for the last year. I still insist that she eats some of everything, and sometimes a lot of what she doesn't like. In a house with this many children there isn't enough mom to make special order food, and I refuse to let her exist on toast! It will be interesting to see where her palate settles out...

cat said...

yeah, i need that eggplant recipe too. i am a mean mom and make my kids at least take a bite "an adventure bite" we call it.
but henry has been killing me lately with his pickiness so after him choking down a green bean, he threw it up and i made him eat it. mother-of-the-year moment i know, but now he doesn't complain about adventure bites anymore!:)