Thanks everyone for your helpful comments. I think I knew what I had to do, but it was reaffirming to hear it from others as well. So tonight Mike and I had a Parent's Summit in the bathroom, the only kid free place to have these sort of meetings. There, I laid out our strategy, dinner was going to be dinner and that was it. I cautioned him it would likely be a long uphill climb and he'd better prepare himself.
During dinner I explained to Abby that she was going to have to start trying some new foods and that Mommy wasn't going to be making separate dinners for everyone anymore. She was actually quite agreeable to the idea, in theory anyway. Tomorrow night is grocery night so Mike suggested that perhaps we could all pick one meal each for us to have for dinner next week.
I only meal plan five days a week, so one day we picked a family favourite (home made pizza) and then we each picked one dinner to fill in the rest of the meals. Well three of us picked. Maya had decided to forgo dinner and instead was upstairs in her bed screeching her head off for 30 minutes (although it felt like three hours). So we voted on what we thought Maya's favourite meal would be. Abby suggested peanut butter sandwiches, but Mike vetoed those for dinner. So instead on Maya's night we are having sardines (known to the rest of the world as quesadillas or if you're Maya... triangles). It's an easy meal to alter to specific tastes.
So that's it. Wish me luck. Sure it seems easy right now, but I fully expect to be eating more meals while listening to Maya shriek upstairs. She's going to be the hard nut to crack, I can just feel it. I mean nothing else with her has been easy so far. Why start now?
7 comments:
Way to go! It will be hard for a while but everyone will be all the better for it. Good luck!
Sorry I didn't comment on the earlier post - Rose is in town so I'm not on the computer much. I'll comment now instead.
Emily is a great eater but has been influenced by her younger sister's pickiness, similar to Abby. However, I have refused to cook two meals. Instead, I offer one other option to what is put in front of them and it is always the same: bread with butter. They still have to eat the vegetables I made but they can have bread with butter instead of the main course. I do make Emily have one bite of anything I put in front of her and she does. Sometimes she'll keep eating it, sometimes not. I don't do that with Hope yet because she will FREAK OUT. I plan to start however sometime after 2 1/2. My doctor concurred with that approach, by the by. Don't know if that is a seal of approval or not but there ya go. Sounds like your plan is good and they'll get used to it eventually. Oh, also if there is screaming at the table, they have to go to their rooms. i won't tolerate that at the table.
Good luck!!! It's definately not an easy road, but you'll be a happier person at the end of the day having spent less time in the kitchen, with less dishes to clean afterwards, etc.
Hope all goes well.
The only time I fixed differen things for Gregory when he was an baby and when he is sick and I am just happy any foods are going in.
good luck
Good luck. It seems like alot of your readers have tried it and were successful. Keep fingers, toes and other body parts crossed for you.
Good Luck, Shan!
(Kate on "Jon and Kate Plus 8" made the "I'm not a short-order cook" comment and I was killing myself laughing bc that is what I always say).
Merry - thanks!
Karen - I was expecting Maya to freak out, but tonight she just declined dinner and went about her business. Although she did ask if she could have breakfast before she went to bed. I expect them to be in their rooms if they're screaming too. Monday night she preferred to lay in her bed and scream for 30 minutes rather than have dinner.
Leah - thanks, I think you're right.
Angela - thanks.
Julie - thanks I'll take all the help I can get.
Normie - Thanks buddy!
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