Last night, I decided that Ally MUST try 1 bite of something new before getting her usual supper. I ate a ham and cheese sandwich, so I gave her a little bitty piece of ham to try. She didn't want it. She wouldn't eat it. She's stubborn. So am I. It was a battle of wills. Rob was at school, so we had the house to ourselves, and I stood my ground. She didn't have to eat it. But, she wasn't getting anything else until she did.
She tried many different gambits. She wanted a plate. I gave her one. She told me she needed food. I gave her the ham. She gave it back. She played with the dog for a while. She jumped around the living room for a while. She wanted to potty, but her potty seat was too rough to sit on. (Stupid dog is teething) So we went downstairs and she peed. I gave her a tootsie roll. That's our deal. (I'm more interested in potty training than starving my kid after all). She helped me sand the rough edges off her potty seat so she could sit on it next time. She told me it was supper time. I told her to eat her ham. She told me that I should put it on my sandwich. She didn't like it. I told her to try it. She decided she needed a different plate. She threw hers on the floor. She got in trouble. She played a while. She thought she could outlast me. I wasn't going to let her.
Rob came home. he played with her a while, and I went down to the bathroom. As soon as I went down there, I heard her telling him that it was supper time. I had to rush out and yell upstairs for him not to feed her. (That just sounds horrible) I said "She can't have anything to eat until after she eats 1 bite of ham." He was amused. He said "How's that working out for you?" and had a good laugh. Then he asked if he could eat the garlic cheese bread that was sitting on the stove getting cold. I wouldn't let him. I made it because Ally loves it, and thought maybe it would entice her to relent. Nope.
Ally said she wanted some candy. I reminded her that she doesn't get candy until after she pees in the potty. So, she went over to her potty and waited for me to pull her pants down. She peed. I gave her a caramel. She loves them.
Bedtime came. She got her vitamins and went to bed.
Rob pointed something out to me that I had not yet considered before implementing this plan. What if the kid just learns to pee for food?
When she peed the first time, I had to decide what to do pretty quick. Candy is our standard "reward" for using the potty, but we were in the middle of a standoff. I decided that I don't care. Either she learns to eat new foods, or she gets potty trained, either way, I win. Rob agrees (or at least, he's not going to oppose me). Besides, when using
She woke up this morning, sat up in bed, and said "It's eating time." I gave her some Cheerios.
Posted by ktjrdn
at 10:50 CDT