Silliness Prompt

Got a Sullen Child at Meal Times?

Try this spoon trick

My son exercising his right to protest / photo by David Peterson — used with permission

When my children were little we sat around this table during meal times.

I have many happy memories of us gathering here: having waffles for dinner, agreeing that my fried eggplant was terrible and that nobody had to eat anymore. I moved on to other vegetables like squash.

I will never forget the time my infant son stole his sister’s custard pie when I was encouraging her to taste it because it was her grandmother’s specialty.

He dragged the plate across the table and stuffed the whole piece in his mouth. He was such a character.

Things changed once he started talking

By dinner time, he had used up his ability to manage transitioning to a new task without trouble. He argued, wailed, or ignored us.

We tried many scenarios:

• The 5-minute reminder from Mom or Dad.
• His sister’s reminder as she left for dinner.
• Picking him up and bringing him to the table (he loved the cuddle).
• Eating without him.

If we ate without him, he refused to eat. Even though we never ate dessert without him — that didn’t count…