eat. Eat. EAT.

One thing I never realized before becoming a parent was the number of times I would say that word. EAT. Sometimes, I get a gurgle in my throat as I say it for the eight hundred and fifty nineth time in a single meal. The gurgle is because it becomes so repetative that it gets stuck in my throat and my mouth is dry from saying it so often.


I'm fairly certain that I am not alone with this battle over meals. Are all kids like this?


Today was a typical day. Isa nearly beat me in my sleep to get me to wake up because she was "staaaaarving." She wanted a snack, but since we cleaned her room last weekend to find cocoa pebbles in her toybox, she's been cut off from snacks in her bedroom. I told her to wait a little longer until Teo woke up. (Our normal morning routine involves Isa waking at the crack of dawn and playing in her room quietly while watching a movie until Teo wakes up and consequently wakes me up around eight.)

"Mom, I'm starving..."


When we got up and around and came downstairs around eight thirty, I made three bowls of cereal, at her request. She ate her fruit loops and was done.


Ten thirty.

"Mooom, I'm staaarvinggg..."

Gave her a cheese stick.


Eleven thirty.

"MOM, I'M STARVING!"

"Isa, wait until Teo wakes from a nap for lunch. You already had a snack. Wait."

Twelve thirty. Teo wakes up.

"MOOOOMMM, I AM STAAAARVINNNNGG!"

So I make lunch. I made her pizza on english muffins and gave her chocolate mousse fluffy yogurt that she has begged me for all day.

Two o'clock. She still hasn't eaten her food.

"eat."

She said that she tasted her yogurt and it tasted "funny."

"Eat."

She just never took a bite of her pizza.

"EAT."

The tv had been turned off.

"EAT."

She had been threatened and bribed with everything under the sun. 

"EAT!!"

I told her to go in timeout then go to bed for a nap with no tv or playing or anything because she wasn't listening and got mouthy. After hysterics, she promised to eat. A half an english muffin pizza later, she was yelling that her tummy says it's full.

Fine. Put the plate in the sink.

Three o'clock.

"MoooooOOOOOOOMMMMMM!!!! I'm STAAAAAARRRRVVVINGGGG!!!"

Grr.