A Breakthrough

My son.... I finally figured out his personality. He has Larry's mood swings with my mouth. Poor kid. And to top it all off, he has my stubborn streak. I can reason with Natalie "Stop or you're going to have a time out. Do you want a time out?" "NO" "Then stop your behavior" "OK, Mom" End of problem. But with Brady... each count usually brings a fury and the actual time out? Temper tantrum at it's finest. This is when my stubborn streak kicks in and it becomes a battle of wills, but I HAVE to win. Not just because I'm the mom and there would be a great shift if he won, but instinctually I CANNOT lose to him. And I think another problem that Brady and I have is that we are both the older sibling. It's like having 2 chiefs in the tribe, someones always trying to reign supreme.

Anyway. Back to B's Breakthrough. Everyone knows what a horrible eater Brady is. I mean, the poor kid gagged on water when he was a baby, like I was making him drink lemon juice.

So tonight I was munching on an apple that I had cut into slices. Of course, Natalie kept swiping slices. Brady steered clear. From an apple. So I get him into his room, casually offer him a slice. "No, thank you." So I start to bribe him. "Don't you want to see The Waterhorse (a movie)?" You see, his speech therapist and I have been making him earn "points" to go see new movies. He earned a trip to go watch The "Bee" movie by eating Top Ramen noodles, carrots and 3 bites of steak. I'm torturing this kid, right? So I tell him, this would earn you a point to go see that movie. I see his wheels start to turn. "I'd rather eat a carrot!" So I tell him that an apple is so much sweeter than a carrot, and if he liked carrots, he's love apples. And I remind him again of the "financial" benefit for eating A BITE of apple. So he agrees. And he sniffs the slice, rubs it over his lips, gives it a lick, then kind of munches into it, then FINALLY commits to biting it. His eyes light up and there is a glimmer of a smile. I casually note how much I like apples, and say "pretty good, huh?" "Um-hum." And he continues to eat his slice, where usually this is where he puts it down, having fulfilled his end of the deal by eating ONE bite. I play it cool. So he crawls into bed and we're talking and reading, and I have 2 slices of apple left. I offer him one. He eagerly takes it!!! Success. Another food on our list. Now shut up about it being just a damn apple. I'll take my wins no matter how small. I just want my kid to eat simple, healthy food. I don't expect great strides in diet, it would just be nice to be able to eat a simple meal with him. And it would be nice if this kid would trust me when I try and get him to try something new. I've never asked him to eat something that would turn a typical kid off. I don't make him eat beets like some moms I know (hi, Erin! love you!). And Larry just came home and is just as excited as I am, he appreciates this as much as I do. My son... he is teaching me all kinds of things, and forcing me to be patient and creative.