Tonight was made of AWESOME

[grammarwoman]

The husband was commenting recently that the Emperor is starting to grow out of his 3T shirts (mind you, he's not even 3 yet). My dear man decided then that he would go check out the garage sales this morning, since the good stuff usually goes early. Boy, did he score! He got some Imperial shoes and shirts, some Ts to fit himself, a Woody doll (missing a hat, unfortunately - we're going to try the place tomorrow to see if it's turned up), a Little Tykes basketball hoop, a small kid's baseball mitt in really good condition, and a gallon bag of Hot Wheels, among other delights. We already had a Hot Wheels suitcase from last year, so that's more than half full now.

The Emperor had a ball when he got home. When presented with the Woody doll, he immediately asked "Where's the hat?" My little goof. The Hot Wheels were a big hit, especially when Daddy set up a ramp to roll them down. Woody had a place set for him for dinner, and later went up to bed with him.

Dinner was what really made my night. We've been trying to break the Emperor out of his picky-eater phase by involving him in the cooking, even if it's only letting taste the different parts that go into the meal. Tonight was taco salad, and though he turned up his nose at the taco beef again, he stood over the counter gobbling beans like they were going out of style. THEN, during dinner, as Daddy demonstrated how to roll up a soft taco, the little inquisitor decided that he wanted one, too, and proceeded to place ingredients in his own mini-tortilla, which he let me roll up. And he ate it ALL. This was a big first. He then went on to eat another plain tortilla, with the fixings separate. The boy loves his dairy -- the shredded cheese and sour cream were both requested several times. Cuteness factor pegged the scale when the husband asked me if I wanted a beer with dinner and the Emperor answered "Yes!".

Coming on the heels of a recent French toast triumph (I regularly make a double batch so the husband can have it for breakfast multiple mornings), where the Emperor tried some and finally liked it, and is now requesting it for breakfast, I feel like a success as a mom, getting him to try new foods. We may even creep up to everyone eating the same dinner more than 4 nights a week!

Comments

[miniglik.livejournal.com]

Oh, what a good haul.

Good idea with the cooking. My three year old is on to the bartering stage (if he eats ten bites of vegetable, he gets a cookie, etc), while my 2 year old flatly refuses anything but yogurt, crackers, fruit, or various other random things. I'm not sure I'd want to involve him in the cooking, though, as he'd loves to destroy.

[grammarwoman]

Thanks!

Oh yeah, we know all about the barter system here. It's usually two or three bites of something less desirable to get a refill on the good stuff, or to turn on the TV to something good. Once he gets going on the bites, then he usually chows down the rest.

I'm always glad to hear that other kids are fussy, too, if only so I feel less like it's something I did wrong. Not that I would wish picky eating on anyone...

[miniglik.livejournal.com]

One of my real life friends was going on about how picky her toddler is last year. I don't think I could convince her that almost every kid is like that, and it's not a matter of your parenting skills. She was particularly upset that he would like something one day and hate it the next. But it's totally normal. They're not going to starve or be malnourished in almost all cases. And at a certain point they get old enough to understand bartering and cause and effect, and THEN you can influence their food choices more.

[die-sterne.livejournal.com]

When I was a kid I went through a period where I would eat practically nothing but spaghetti and corn. It must have been a nightmare, because I have always been strong-willed, so "You'll stay at the table until you finish this." just meant I would sit at the table pushing things around on my plate for HOURS until my parents gave up.