I never worried with any of the kids if they were eating. They were all great eaters.
(Besides which, they were babies. Nine peas is a full serving for a baby. I have always wondered at the moms who worried about their kids not eating, when really what they were worried about was that their kids were not in fact eating meals that would have made a longshoreman go "whoa. That's a lot of food." There's a reason baby and toddler dishes are little...)
Any way. So. Not one to worry about whether the kidlets were eating enough, even when Thor spent six months eating pb&j instead of ANYTHING at all that I made for supper. He ate apples and banana bread, which is a great vehicle for sneaking carrot and wheat germ and flax and oatmeal into your kids.
Now, these days, if Abe is eating, if Abe deigns to sniff at the food in his dish, I walk the other way around the kitchen counter so as hopefully not to disturb him. I will wait to refill my coffee cup. I will sit at the computer for an extra minute (like that's a hardship...) Because YAY! He's EATING! Not that he's particularly skinny or underfedish, but the dog just doesn't eat as much as he should. (Mojo, on the other hand, wouldn't miss a meal if he were in a coma.)
Because of course, I have adjusted my life to the dogs. Right now I have Things To Do, but I am reluctant to get up because Abe just curled up next to me and looks so content. (Both dogs feel compelled to follow me about the house all day, so once I get up, he will feel the need to follow me up stairs and to the bathroom door...)
Right. Edited To Add...I didn't mean you, obviously. I realize there are kids who truly seem to think food and eating are optional. But really, I have met moms who seem to think they have not done their job unless their offspring downs the equivalent of a nine course Thanksgiving meal thrice daily. Those are the moms I was referencing up there, not you, my loyal reader!
I understand worrying about the dog. If Maximus wasn't eating I would worry too. Right now he is mugging my son for a granola bar.
ReplyDeleteI never worried about the girls. I didn't want to create weight problems for them later by insisting they eat -- I don't think that worked either. But now that I'm the grandmother, I do worry about those little ones. Their mom just doesn't get them fed right ... Just kidding, She does have her hands full with two picky eaters, but they are thriving and she is doing a great job.
ReplyDeleteMaximus sounds like a fantastic dog.
ReplyDeleteOur half-coyote half-german shephard Dingo is like Abe, and will immediately cease eating the second anyone walks within his twenty-foot sensory bubble. I think he assumes one of us is going to jump him for the food. Considering that the majority of my recent diet has consisted of Ramen and PBJ, I may be forced to do just that one of these days to break up the monotony. Watch out Dingo.
I worry about my cat the same way you do about Abe. She eats very little and to make matters worse she pukes all the time. Sometimes I wonder how she can stay alive with so little in that stomach of hers, but she's fifteen years old now, so I guess I should not really worry,I mean if she has not starved to death by now, she probably won't? What do you think? LOL!
ReplyDeleteWe never worried about our three boys either - although they did and do have their quirks. Our youngest, our Asbergers boy, has a very limited menu- but he will make his own meals when he is hungry. The older two were more pragmatic about food, if it wasn't moving, it was a candidate to be eaten. EXCEPT - #1 son would not eat unless it was on or in yellow - bowl/plate/glass. #2 son would not eat if WAS in or on yellow - bowl/plate/glass. Which is why we have SO MUCH frigging Tupperware. Yellow and Red. Because nobody ever had a problem with Red Tupperware - bowl/plate/glass.
ReplyDeleteExcept for #1 - but he did outgrow it and was happy with Red. Eventually.
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