Random Monday Musings on Parenting
Sometimes I don’t know if I’m cut out for this parenting gig. Take this weekend, for example. I had some shopping to do at the Hallmark store, so we all bundled up and headed to the mall. We made the decision to ditch the stroller, since at 18 months, Ava really won’t sit still in it for any length of time. We snapped on her new doggie back pack, with a handle for mommy or daddy to keep hold of her.
Now, go ahead and yell at me for humiliating my daughter by putting a leash on her. Tell me what a lazy mom I am for not wanting to chase a toddler down every 5 minutes. Go ahead; get it out of your system. I’ll wait.
Ok, now if we’re done with that, let’s move on.
So off we strolled into the mall. Ava was happy as a clam, being able to walk around. She had a HUGE grin on her face. We headed into the store, where I let Darin take over “handling duty” while I picked up the items I needed.
That was where the trouble started. Thank you Hallmark for putting all the plush toys right at eye level for an 18 month old. She made a beeline for the display. By the time I had selected my items and checked out, she had gathered up no less than five animals and was walking around looking for more. She was shopping. Now, as adorable as that sounds (and trust me, it was cute as all get out) I knew there was going to be a price to pay. Because I really didn’t want to buy five stuffed animals. We were able to get one away from her without incident. The next two were not so easy. The crying started. At that point, I simply couldn’t take the remaining two away from her, so we bought them. Now, my heart was telling me to get them all, because she was loving on them and they were making her so happy. My head was saying “NO! She has tons at home and doesn’t need more.” Part of me is feeling guilty for not getting all of them and eliminating the meltdown. I know she would have forgotten all about it soon after leaving the store. But in that moment, she was so happy. Having so much fun. The look on her face is one I will never forget. It was sheer joy. And then I came along and destroyed the fun.
I don’t want her grow up and be a spoiled brat. We are fortunate that we make a good living and are able to provide not only for her needs, but her wants as well. It’s so hard to know where and when to draw that line and say no. If I can afford it, my heart tells me to get it. I went without a lot of wants growing up. My parents simply did not have the money. I want a better childhood for her. I know that when she looks back, it won’t be the stuff that she remembers. My head knows all of this. Now, I just need to convince my heart.
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In other news, we finally surmounted another food mountain this weekend. We finally got Ava to eat an egg. Scrambled. With cheese. But she ate almost the entire thing. Now I know you’re rolling your eyes right now and thinking “Big deal”. But to us it is. Ava did an about face on eating once we ditched the baby food. My sweet girl, who happily ate any baby food you gave her, looked at “real food” as if it were the enemy. Her diet for months has consisted mainly of fruit, cheese and crackers. The occasional piece of chicken, ham or turkey was ok. Vegetable? Oh hell no. We keep trying and she keeps rejecting. She does love beans we have discovered. Pinto, kidney, black. She has yet to turn down any bean offered.
However, last week we discovered she’s developing something called Toddler’s Diarrhea, which is usually caused by too much fruit juice ( or just fruit, in her case) in a kid’s diet, and not enough fiber/fat. So we’ve been looking for ways to increase the fat in her diet. We’ve added peanut butter (with her doctor’s blessing) and decided to try eggs again. This time was a hit. She ate almost an entire egg. Wahooo!
I also am going to try avocado on her again as well. She’s eaten it in the past and seemed to enjoy it.
What are some things you feed you toddler to get some “good” fat into their diet?
10 Responses to Random Monday Musings on Parenting
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I am the same way with Maya, if she loves something and I can afford I just want to buy it for her. I try to control myself, but sometimes I just give in today. Like today at Walmart when she really wanted the Christmas Tigger, I gave in because I could the light in her eyes tell me how much she loved it and wanted to bring it home. I think it is ok to give in every once in a while, it makes them and us happy.
As for the food thing. Maya was the same way at Ava’s age, it was hard to get her to eat much. Luckily she took a turn around 18 months and eats almost everything now, although veggies are still a problem. Maya loves guacamole so we let her have that a lot because it is full of good fats and I usually throw some tomatoes in there too so she gets even more veggies. Bagels and cream cheese have always been a big hit.
.-= Lisa´s last blog ..Meaning =-.
Dam it. I had a comment and then hit something and it went away. Lemme try again.
Okay first, we’ve all done it. Hell, I did it the other day with Morgan and she’s eight. Sometimes it’s not worth the argument. Plus? Ava was being cute and shopping with you. Shrug.
She’s 18 months old. It’s not a big deal. Not to say yes and not to say no. Try not to feel too guilty okay? The things is to not do it always. But at her age, they don’t understand reasoning. It’s not like at two when you can say, choose which one and she will be thrilled to get one.
On the food. Try hot dogs, chicken nuggets, mini bagels with cream cheese, tomato, avocado, tortillas, eggs are great, if she’ll eat them. If you keep giving her things to try, she may eventually give it a try. Also, on fruit juice, dilute it. Like 1/2 juice, 1/2 water.
.-= Issa´s last blog ..Taking a break =-.
Avasmommy Reply:
December 14th, 2009 at 11:04 am
Actually, she doesn’t drink juice at all. She drinks water and milk. But SO much of her diet was fruit, it overloaded her tummy with sugar.
And get this…she won’t eat hot dogs. Yeah, no mac n cheese, no hot dogs. My kid is weird.
Issa Reply:
December 15th, 2009 at 9:54 am
Mine don’t like Mac & Cheese either. No hot dogs..hmmm, ham? Turkey? String cheese? Snap peas?
.-= Issa´s last blog ..Taking a break =-.
About putting Ava on a leash, you have to do what works. If it works for you, then all the power to you. Don’t let anyone bash you on keeping your child safe. I’m a big fan of “If it works for you, take it and RUN!”
I’m EXTREMELY lucky because both of my kids will sit in and actually ENJOY the stroller. My daughter (4) still sits in the double when we drag it out. My son (2) thinks he’s hot stuff riding around in a stroller. Yep, I’m very lucky! I’ll stroll them both to first grade if they’d let me! Why? Because it works and keeps them safe in parking lots and crowded malls………
Anyway, that’s my rant. Glad you found a way to keep your precious daughter safe!
As far as food goes…my son will not eat anything really…unless it’s fresh veggies…that’s his first choice. His almost tie second choice is fresh fruits. His third and fourth choices are frozen veggies and canned fruit (but sometimes turns his nose to canned anything). Other than that, he’s pretty fickle. He’s very picky at the brand of hot dogs he’ll eat. Ball Park all beef franks or something like that are the ONLY hot dogs he’ll eat. He’ll eat salami though. The brand might be Hillshire Farm…?? I think.
My daughter will eat (or at least try) anything I give to her. But I starved her for the first week of life. I was trying to breastfeed and she was not getting enough…nothing actually…and the kid LIVED on my boob. Well, after having an entire day of no wet diaper and visiting the doctor to confirm she was DEHYDRATED…….we figured out my boobs are so small the kid was STARVING…..and I think she remembers that.
Okay, that’s NOT what the doctor said…I just went straight to formula she stopped WHALING and we all lived happily ever after.
Good luck figuring out good foods for your angel to eat
.-= Rebecca´s last blog ..What Would You Do? =-.
You won’t get any grief from ME about the “leash”. Both my kids wore them, and it was a tremendous help.
Foods: With an extremely food allergic kid, we have to try a million things to get the right kinds of nutrition into her diet. Cheese, yogurt, beans, avocado – those are definitely a good start. A lot of times I puree chicken mix it with stuff she loves, and she never knows the difference. Also, I cook with BUTTER. It’s fatty, yes, but so necessary for kids who need that extra oomph.
.-= Andrea’s Sweet Life´s last blog ..Why =-.
Don’t beat yourself up about the stuffed animals. I believe that there are times that the battle just isn’t worth it & if buying a toy or a piece of candy will keep the meltdown at bay, then giving in on occasion is absolutely the best thing to do.
I struggle with the buying & giving a lot. I didn’t have much at all growing up & I spoil my kids a little too often now because of that.
As for the food…will she eat mashed potatoes? I make mine with cream cheese, sour cream & shredded cheese to boost the fat. My kids eat a LOT of peanut butter. They eat PB&J probably 4x a week for lunch. Carter will eat pretty much anything you put in front of him but Claire refuses almost every meat except chicken. Maybe you can find silly “phrases” that will make her more likely to eat a food? We eat “baby chickens” & “baby sandwiches” & “baby fishies” (fishsticks). I don’t know why calling the food “baby whatever” works for Claire but that’s been my saving grace.
.-= Cara´s last blog ..I spend too much time in search of good bathrooms =-.
Try potatoes, high fat yogurt, cheese, fish, chicken bites – things like that.
.-= Kim @ Beautiful Wreck´s last blog ..Christmas Tour of Homes 2009 =-.
It’s tough. My daughter was and still is a very picky eater. My son will put anything in his mouth and eat it. Lately I have found they both will eat rice and beans. I just put whole grain rice in a bowl and put beans on top and they eat them right up.
My daughter is 3 and if given the choice she would eat crackers for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It’s so hard.
.-= Midwest Mommy´s last blog ..Santa’s Brother From Another Mother =-.
Have you ever considered adding more videos to your blog posts to keep the readers more entertained? I mean I just read through the entire article of yours and it was quite good but since I’m more of a visual learner.