Battle Banana

I swore I wouldn't be that mom.  I knew that my kids would be good eaters.  Certainly if I just exposed them to all different kinds of food, they wouldn't be picky, whiny, or difficult at the dinner table.

Oh, Oh, Oh...I have SO eaten my words!  I am a mom of picky-eaters!  And, *gulp* that is incredibly hard to swallow!

They are SO picky, whiny, and fussy. 

Most meals, I don't even like eating with them!

Recently my 4 year old has been incredibly challenging!  It could be a perfectly prepared dinosaur-shaped chicken nugget, that he requested, and he will whine, "I don't want that..."

I refuse to be a short-order cook, knowing that I would just be encouraging the bad behavior.  So, he sits, at the table with his plate of Stegosauruses, T-Rex's, and Iquanadons FUSSING.

And, I HAVE TO HEAR IT.

He's been sent to our "fussy chair" to settle down and returns to the table only to begin the fussing again.

When it first started, I thought perhaps he was sick, or perhaps he was just over-tired, or perhaps just cranky, or perhaps....  But the meal-time-cranks, have been going on for at least one month...and that is a conservative estimate.

So, my heels are dug in.  And, the battle has begun.  This morning, it is the Battle Banana!

The banana - THAT. HE. ASKED. FOR.

I know that the whining, crying, and fussing will only get worse, before it gets better. 

I have gathered my gear - Patience (check),  Strength (check),  Focus (check) mixed with Love and Caring (check and check).

And, as he screams, for the 15th billion time "I don't want to eat my banana!"...I am trying to keep my anger in check.

Oh...and I have my MP3 player...

This time I might even have to use both ear buds!