As expectant mothers, we all have our ideas of how we will raise our kids. We say to ourselves, that we will never do this or do that or that we will never let them do this or that.
When my son was five months it was time to introduce solid foods. Many told me to give him fruit, but I refused. I didn't want him to develop a sweet tooth and reject healthier foods.
I was doing great. He would eat rice and beans, lentils, fish, tofu, avocado, masaman curry, and mashed green beans with rice. I was so proud of myself. My son had a great palette and would grow up to have sophisticated tastes.
On my son's first birthday he caught a stomach virus and it was bad. Dad and I caught it too. I wanted to die because I was so sick. Once we recovered and started eating again, I decided to listen to everyone who said that I should give Nicholas applesauce and mashed bananas to start off. Big mistake. Sweet tooth here we come. After that day, he rejected everything that wasn't sweet. It took years to slowly add things back into his menu and I found myself feeding my son chicken fingers, french fries and pizza more often than I can admit. Many mom's advised that I refuse him food if he didn't eat what I had made him, but as a working mom, I didn't want a fight for the little bit of time I had him.
A little over a year ago, I remember catering a wedding where the bride, groom and sister all wanted to eat the kid's meal of chicken finger's and fries. I swore no child of mine would end up eating chicken fingers and fries at their wedding.
I had to put my foot down. He wasn't eating anything they served him at school. And then, it came to me, out of know where. It wasn't premeditated but it was Brilliant.
I spoke to his school's director with Nicholas within earshot. I said to her, " Ms. Elba, I really need your help getting Nicholas to eat his food and vegetables. His doctor has told me that if he doesn't eat his food and vegetables, she will have to give him a shot." And then from across the room I heard him sobbing. He ran to me weeping. He was scared to death.
That night at home he reluctantly ate broccoli. The next day he had some of his food at school. Some days, when I picked him up from school he was already crying as I approached the door if that day he didn't taste the vegetable. He would beg me not to take him in for the shot. I would agree to give him one more chance if he ate a new vegetable at home that evening.
Little by little, he tasted asparagus, broccoli, mixed greens, avocado, zucchini, cucumber, tomatoes, red peppers. He ate anything I wanted him to eat or he was getting the dreaded shot.
Now my super eater has vegetables for both lunch and dinner everyday, expects them and asks for them. Did I traumatize him? Perhaps a little, but he will thank me one day.
My mother said that I was traumatizing him and that I shouldn't scare him that way. It seems that she has forgotten the times she would light a match and chase me around the house telling me that she was going to burn my feet if I walked around barefoot. Ring-Ring: Hello Kettle? This is the pot.
Till this day, I can't walk around barefoot and and my feet are super sensitive even when walking at the beach.
