My son and I have been in a good, old-fashioned stand-off regarding his eating. Day before yesterday, I made bar-b-que beef (a home-made sauce, not at all spicy), corn on the cob, and salad for dinner. His salad consists of cucumbers, which he calls "cumbies" and actually does like to eat-under normal circumstances. He refused to eat anything but a couple of bites of cumbies. So, as is our custom, he got his dinner for breakfast the next day. He refused to eat it then. Therefore, it became his lunch. Did he eat it for lunch? You guessed it: would not even touch it. He drank his milk, though. (At each meal, I give him a serving of milk, but I don't let him drink all he wants because he will fill up on it. He gets water after his serving of milk if he doesn't eat his meal.)
Our dinner we had at my mother's house. She had fried chicken (the amazingly good Publix fried chicken), with which we had potatoes with butter and salt and salad. Normal food, nothing fancy, nothing weird, or even very healthy (except the salad) for that matter. Needless to say, my son rejected that simple dinner as well. I should note that he had not had any snacks or anything else since dinner nearly 24 hours ago.
Before I continue the story, let me give you a little background. My family, on my parents' side, is Scottish. Before that, we were Norse, and not just Norse, but Norse Vikings of the line of one in particular who was known for his ferocity. So much so that when he landed on mainland Europe, the people were so scared that they gave him an entire section of the country in the hope that he wouldn't attack them. For a wonder, he appears to have settled there, for one of his descendants was William the Conqueror. So what I call "Norse tenacity" runs strong in our family. My son comes by it honestly. My side of the family is chock full of "firmness of character," as I read once in a book. Another word is stubbornness.
So the stand-off continued. I brought home the food my son had not eaten last night for dinner. I thought I'd be sneaky this morning. You see, I make smoothies for breakfast for myself. Not sugary ones but healthy ones. I put banana (usually frozen), frozen raspberries or blueberries, oatmeal, a little dark chocolate, milk, and either plain Greek yogurt or protein powder. I have discovered that my son likes these, so I decided to add his leftover food to a smoothie for him.
My plan backfired. It was nasty. Completely nasty. I gave my son a bite, which he turned away after tasting. I then tasted it and promptly threw it out, apologizing to him all the while. Thus the stand-off ended with my making a regular smoothie for the both of us, which he ate without complaining. I learned a lesson today. "Firmness of character" has its downside, and sneakiness its own reward. Did my son or I win the stand-off? Who knows? But there is no doubt it'll probably happen again. Our family tenacity can't be overcome in a day.
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