Threats...Sometimes They Work

As I have lamented many a time on this blog, nothing healthful passes Luke's lips in any given day. Unless you count the tomatoes in pizza sauce...which I don't. I really stress about him eating well and I'm sure he loves to control me by not doing what I want so badly. Little rascal. The score on the number of food battles I have won has stood like this,


Luke: 1 trillion

Mom: zip...nada...goose egg....zero.


Until this week. Now it stands,


Luke: 1 trillion

Mom: 3


On Thursday Luke wouldn't eat his Mac n' Cheese. It really gets under my skin. I was in a good mood, I know shocker, so I jokingly said, "You can either eat that mac' n cheese or you can eat this slop." I was feeding Claire at the time and how else could you describe baby food than slop! Luke took me seriously and he vigorously ate his entire bowl of mac n'cheese. I thought I must be onto something, so at dinner I cut one slice of an apple and peeled it and put it onto his plate.

We were like two desperado's meeting in a duel...all that was missing was the passing of a tumbleweed, some swanky music, and the call of some distant bird. I made my threat. This time Claire was eating Peas. "Luke you can chose to either eat that apple or this green slop." I could see he was thinking about calling my bluff, but when I got close to his mouth with the spoon of peas he picked up the apple and licked it. Then he nibbled it. Then he ate it! It is a small victory but I was so ecstatic you'd have thought I'd just won the lottery. That's when I realized in motherhood it's the little victories that count. The threat has worked two other times....this time on broccoli....which he actually asked for more of.