Time Out!!

Sometimes I just have to give myself a time out. It's typically happens when I'm right at the end of a very frayed rope. Like tonight for example . . .

When we, inexperienced parents, had Samantha we decided to parent with the attitude that we'd let her guide her choices. Now don't get me wrong, the idea isn't that she chooses whatever she wants, but that she gets two options and selects from that. We took our new found parenting technique (mistake) and applied that to eating choices when Samantha started to eat solid food. Lucky us and our stupidity--five years later we're still battling over food. This is the only avenue in which we should not have applied our parenting technique. In reality this theory worked well with a closet full of cute outfits, too many shoe choices, and buying a toothbrush.

If Samantha had a choice she'd live on homemade pizza and bubble gum. She won't touch a vegetable at all. She won't touch a banana unless it's her only option and she would rather starve than eat one measly slice of apple. Combine that with an overactive gag reflex and you are living in my own personal hell. I can't force her to eat because she'll psyche herself out so much she'll throw up on her plate.

So tonight I made quinoa and fish. She has no problem with meats or fish, but that alone does not keep her satiated and she knows it. She's had quinoa before in her favorite rice-bean-like meal, Harvest Grain, from Trader Joes. But tonight she wouldn't touch it. I couldn't even look at her while she sat there for 10 minutes with it on her spoon. She kept wiping her forehead with her hand and rubbing her hands in her hair like she was nervous or anxious about putting it in her mouth. I was about ready to lose it so I got up and walked away from the table.

Every meal I struggle with this. I'm tempted to feed her only fruits and raw vegetables. I don't want to starve the kid at school, but I'm about ready to go all "Raw diet" on her.

Now Al and I didn't parent the same way with Alyssa. She gets to choose her breakfast, but that is it. And she eats nearly everything. She isn't a huge meat fan, loves fish, but will try and fruit or vegetable in the house. The girl will steal all my asparagus if I turn my head.

How long will we be punished for our first fatal parenting choice? I don't want to give myself time out every dinner.