Benjamin and I have a long history of food conflicts. Mostly they stem from his complete unwillingness to wear a bib. Because of his refusal (and downright violent reaction to them at times), I've been hesitant to let him feed himself too much besides sandwiches and other dry, clean foods. Certainly nothing requiring a spoon or containing liquid! The clothing disasters waiting to happen! My clean freakyness just couldn't handle it. However, I've also started to hate having to sit and feed him everything, thus constantly postponing my own meals. I've watched mothers of children younger than Benjamin plunk a bowl and a spoon in front of their kid and walk away. Each time I thought 'why can't I do that?' I've also noticed Benjamin's increasing desire to wield his own utensils. More than once I've snatched a spoon from his grasp as he threatens to smear it into his hair. The last straw was when the pediatrician at his 18 month check-up asked, "Is he using utensils? Is he eating with a spoon?" I could only look at the floor and murmur,"Hmmmm....Kind of....He's just so messy!" "Are you giving him the chance to be messy?" he retorted. Grrrr. So, I lamented to Kelly about this issue and what did my darling ingenious husband come up with? He looked at the bib, and it's unique upturned bottom portion and declared, "It's not a bib, it's a pocket! A really cool pocket that catches all sorts of cool things that fall off spoons!"
Within one meal-time, we'd gone from violent thrashing at the sight of a bib, to avid checking of the "pocket" and excited high-fives after every successful scoop into the mouth. We treated each successful spoon loading as if he'd achieved world peace. In a way, to us it was just as monumental. The first meal was admittedly a little messy, but by the next day he'd had soup, cereal, and yogurt all by himself, with hardly any spill at all! An amazing transformation. I love it! Benjamin couldn't be happier, either. Now if I try to scoop something for him, he'll grab the spoon, dump it out into the bowl, and do it himself. I can take a hint! Now to find the marketing twist on potty training!
5 comments:
Atta girl Michelle!
Benjamin is gonna suprise you so many times throughout his life.
Kids love loose ends. They love solving things on their own.
Good for you for letting your kids explore life!
Okay, I was laughing at your post because it just so sounds like you, and then I go to my friends blog right after yours, and then I was really laughing. You'll have to check it out. http://www.petersen3.blogspot.com/
You are at both ends of the feeding spectrum!
I'm so glad there are moms out there like her. We need balance in the world. I guess all I say, is thank goodness it was a red t-shirt.
I am so fantasizing about the day I can put a bowl of food and a utensil in front of Lauren and have her go at it. Recently her new feeding trick is to insist on touching everything before allowing it in her mouth and dropping all the food from her tray to the floor piece by piece. I think she is just saving it for later as more than once I have caught her eating the stray crumbs off the floor that she refused when they were on her tray. Anyway congratulations on the milestone, I love the pictures.
Oh, Benjamin went through the touching and throwing stages too. Maybe things just taste better after they've been on the floor a while. :) Benjamin still occassionally needs to touch something unfamiliar before being willing to eat it. I guess it's kind of how we poke at things with our fork when we're not sure we want it...just messier.
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