food wars

My buddy is slowly making me insane.  I mean that in the best possible way.  Most of the day is filled with hugs and laughter, but each mealtime is filled with drama and stress.

A typical meal lately goes something like this:  I put food on the table.  My buddy throws himself down in a full blown temper tantrum.  Monkey bear and I roll our eyes and eat our meal while he rolls around on the ground.

Since my buddy is in school now I just can't bring myself to send him in with an empty belly.  So now come the theatrics... from me.  I can remember when monkey bear was about 9 months old and I had to sing Old MacDonald every time I wanted to feed her or she refused to open her mouth. 

So the food is on the table.  It is food that my buddy approves of yet he is complaining full force.  If you just plop him at the table in this state, the food is guaranteed to fly across the room.  So Mommy heads over to iTunes to put on the one song that will stop the crying:  Three Little Birds by Bob Marley.  (Or Bobby Marley if your name is monkey bear)  If it is a mild meltdown, then the song alone may be good enough.  If we are in major meltdown mode you must pick up the flailing 35 pound preschooler and dance about the room first. 

The smile he gives is almost worth the strain on my back and pregnant belly.  The next move is either straight to his chair.  Or on those really bad days, he sits on my lap.  Never put the food within reach until you have completely assessed the mood.  One must slyly nudge the milk close and if that goes well then introduce the food. 

The thing that gets me is when my buddy finally starts to eat, he is happy and will eat the whole thing.  I am embarrassed that I fall for it every time.  But I hate the cracker diet in front of the TV and that seems to be the alternative.  I've tried feeding him nothing and then sometime later give him the same food.  It's never gone well.

I would pay countless dollars for some magic chair that he loved and sat in happily while munching on his healthy food.  A girl can dream...