Trying to feed my (almost)two-year-old is extremely frustrating. He never wants to eat anything. Now, sure, this would be annoying no matter what the situation, because one of the prime parenting instincts is to put food into your child, but what makes it even more obnoxious is the fact that he loves almost every food out there.
As I sit there, making choo-choo and/or airplane noises, trying any trick I can conjure up to get that first bite into his mouth, I am filled with the furious knowledge that once he actually tastes whatever is on the fork, he will then gobble the rest of it right up and ask for more. Every time.
Hey! Small person! Do you not remember a few hours ago when we did this exact same thing?! You refused to eat, only to discover that all food is your favorite? This can’t be any more fun for you than it is for me, as you seem to be genuinely upset about the whole process, what with the crying and kicking and all. Eventually, shouldn’t it set in that every five hours or so we all sit down and you get to eat yummy food that you enjoy? Apparently not.
No, he does not learn his lesson from the day before, or even the minute before. Once he chows down on one item on his plate, we start the battle anew with the second item. It’s like he thinks that each new delicacy is another attempt by his parents to poison him. “Hmmm, that first bite didn’t kill me,” he seems to be thinking. “Guess I’ll scarf the rest of it, but I’ll be damned if I’m eating those potatoes.”
And so every day, approximately ten to twelve times, I prepare tactical spoon strikes in an attempt to penetrate his eating defenses. I’m sure that he is just being stubborn and independent, but I seriously hope that this phase ends soon. He’s getting wise to my deceptions, and I’m running out of ideas.