Eat What I Serve Or Starve!!

As a parent we try to do what's best for our children. Every sense of our being is to ensure their happiness. We cater to their every need, when they say jump we ask how high! If we fail to give them everything, we feel we fail as parents. Not true, Momma, not true. There are so many things we will actually fail at no matter how hard we try, let's not add to that list! 

From the time my son was old enough to eat solids he would not eat cooked veggies. He would eat veggies like carrots, broccoli, and celery all day long if it was raw. Anytime I placed them on his dinner plate, even if only slighty steamed, shit was about to hit the fan! He was so mind over matter. I always made sure he tasted them, no matter what. If we ate the same thing twice a week, guess what? He tasted that same veggie again and again! I had to be admitted to the hospital for three weeks and my sister helped my husband out(thank you!). She kept my kids and it was really the first time(age two), he was ever away from me that long. 

I still to this day remember her telling me this story. They sat down for dinner and it was something simple like chicken, mashed potatoes and corn. My son refused to eat the taters and corn(who's kid are you??). Her husband made him sit there and he physically made himself gag, to the point he was almost puking. It was mind over matter. If he said it was gross, he sat there and thought about how bad a bite would be. He would hurl in his mouth and swallow. It was awful! He still to this day is hard to deal with when he automatically says it will be gross. His mind controls it and he will sit there gagging. I always make them take at least two bites.

Today my son is 9, turns 10 in January. He eats corn, peas, carrots, asparagus, squash, zucchini, green beans, broccoli, calliflower, cabbage and more. He will not touch beans. Kidney beans in chili, refried beans on taco night....no way, no how. He asked for avocado in his lunch today...wtf!!! He has come so far. I wish back when he was so picky and I had no hope, someone would of said "hey, it's just a phase, they move on!". 

As a parent we stress about so many things. Let's not let food become one. Make them try it over, and over, and over again. I never, ever thought this would be my son. Asking for asparagus and avocado. Shit happens, kids change. We are doing something right Mom!! Continue to make them try things, even if they have already said eww five times! 

Listen Mom. There is still a rule in my house. My daughter hates cabbage and asparagus. I still make her try two bites every time we have it. She yells, screams and puts up a fuss...but from what I have learned to date, its worth it!!!

Magic Monster Spray

We all do things to make our kids happy, keep them from being scared, and have them feeling safe. There is usually no logic behind them, at least not to us. However we find a way to make the kids believe in them, and count on them. Our job is to protect, nurture and love them. Even when they believe in something so silly all of a sudden they know doesn't exist. 

When my kids were little I used to use Monster Spray. When I went to tuck them in I would spray around the room, mostly in the air. Colin was 5 and MaKayla was 3. I am pretty sure I always grabbed the little silver bottle of room spray from The Body Shop. It smelled good and I wasn't harming anything spraying it. I figured at one point they would call me out, since I used other scents in the same bottle throughout the house. It never happened. With the move overseas the spray never really came back up. We did night lights and all was well. Monsters were kept a bay. 

The kids are now 9 and 7. Last night my son had a rather eventful nights sleep, or lack there of. They were tucked in at 7:30 pm as usual. I had just finished my workout at 8:30 pm and he comes walking out to the living room looking half asleep. He sits in the recliner and just looks at me. The conversation went something like this: 

Me- "Colin what do you need?"

Colin- "Mmm umm nothing"

Me- "Why are you out of bed?"

Colin shrugs

Me- "Colin are you awake?"

He stares at me. I walk over and help him up only to realize he is sleep walking(usually that is my daughters speciality). I walk him to his room and tuck him in once again. 

Around 2am he comes stumbling into my room and says he had a bad dream. I ask him about what and he says a scary movie in his dvd player that was trapping him in his room and he couldn't get out. He then says he was scared there was monsters under the bed so he sat on his bed working up the nerve to jump off and run to my room. Needless to say he slept with me the rest of the night after I reassured him it was just a dream. He hasn't watched any scary movies either, FYI.

So today after school at one point I realize he is not watching an animal show with us. I go to check on him and he isn't in his room. I make my way room by room and finally find him in the playroom watching a video about Minecraft. Mind you the playroom light is off so he is sitting in the dark. I ask what he is doing and he tells me. I ask why he is in there and not his room and he smirks. I repeat the question and he says he is scared. I asked of what and he says under his bed. I try not to laugh at him and remind him he is in the dark currently. So after dinner I give Daddy the job of taking him back to his room and cleaning under the bed and verifying nothing is there. All is well or so it appears. 

After everyone is in pajamas my daughter comes out and asks if I remember the Monster Spray I used to use. she then points out I always used air freshener and that is all it was. First she was no older than three, how the hell does she remember that lol. I tell them every Mom has a recipe for Monster Spray. Colin asks me to make some and use it tonight. I disappear and come back with Magically Blue Monster Spray, you know, because Monsters hate blue. In the dark it glows to Monsters only and they run away and cry. Kind of like white and light colors glows for butterflies and attracts them. It also smells good because Monsters like smelly things like dirty socks and garbage. 

Half an hour before bed I take him back to his room. We spray his closets, under his bed and all over his bed. He is satisfied. We do the same in her room. They both beg me to tell them the secret ingredients and I say Mom cant until your eighteen. my daughter is very insistent Monsters aren't real, but the spray will make her older brother feel better. They are both tucked in and no one has came out running as of yet. Here is to a nightmare, monster free evening! 

As for the Monster Spray? A spray bottle, a little fabric softener and water. Yeah, I'm a genius! LOL

On another note I used to have really bad dreams when I was little. I was trapped and would wake facing the wall or from sleep walking and be elsewhere and almost as if my eyes are broken and cant see I panic and fell all over trying to find the doorway. It was the same dream over and over and used to affect me a lot. Scared the shit out of me almost nightly. Bad dreams are no fun, but I hope if your children are having them it is short lived and bearable. 

Sweet Dreams!