Monday's Mommy Moment: More than Just Dinner

I remember cooking dinners just for my husband and me.  Life was easy then.  I only had to appease two different pallets, and I could almost always guarantee that everything would be enjoyed and eaten--leftovers too.  Now, to say that dinnertime with our two year-old is different in an understatement.  It's turned from a time of good food and conversation to a circus three-ring act.  You see, my little boy has turned from this extraordinary eater to this picky, semi-obnoxious dinner companion.  (You know the kind of person in restaurants that keeps sending their food back.)

Every once in a blue moon, (Have you ever seen a blue moon?  Yeah, me neither.) my little boy will actually eat everything quietly on his plate.  However, for the most part, dinnertime for us has become a circus side show, full of entertainment and surprise.  Usually I can usually expect one of two different demeanors.

Playtime. Yes, this is when my little boy decides it's more fun to play with his food than eat it.  In this mood, he's been know to...

• Dump all his chocolate milk onto his tray and pretend like he's finger painting.
• Notice that his "rubber type" spoon has a little spring action to it, and use it to make flying catapults of carrots, mashed potatoes, and anything else.
• Create his own recipes by mixing say--salmon, yogurt, milk, and rice together.
• Start drumming on his tray to see what he can knock off his plate.

The Revolt.  In this mood, my little boy suddenly thinks he's the royal prince, and I am his lowly servant.  He decides what he's going to eat, how much, and when he prefers his dessert.  In this mood, he's been known to...

• Push all his food away, threatening to send it hurling right off his tray.
• Spit food out, or worse--scrape the food off his tongue with his hands because he finds it just that revolting.
• Yell "NO", and then demand his two favorite foods--"cookies" and "toast".  
• Forcefully keep his mouth sealed shut so that we can't try and feed him.
• Place his arm in front of his mouth to create an extra barrier of making sure the food can't get in.
• Close his eyes and pretend like he's sleeping so that we can't feed him.

Yes, my little boy has really turned into that unsatisfied customer that's never happy with his food.  Even when I think I have made a food that he likes, he'll pick it up, survey it, and flat out reject it.  My only hope is that over time, he'll learn to enjoy eating more foods and dinnertime can be about good food and conversation once more...