Background:
#LivyLu was a CHAMPION eater from the moment she started to eat. In fact, we had so many people tell us that a newborn should not be eating 4-5 oz every 2 hours, but she was just so hungry. When we introduced baby food, we couldn’t feed it to her fast enough. Snack foods, baby food, formula, milk, sweets (oh how that girl loves sweets), fruits, grilled chicken-- she loved it all. Until she turned a year old. Sometime around that age she became what I believe is the world’s pickiest eater. She lives on goldfish, cheese sticks, peanut butter and honey “sam-whiches”, strawberry “milkshakes” (strawberry protein shakes, yup I totally endorse that lie), chicken nuggets, and fruit snacks. In the summer I can get her to eat strawberries and grapes, but that's pretty much the extent of the foods she will eat. But even when I give her foods she likes, I have to bribe that girl to eat, unless she is super hungry.
She also used to be the best little helper. Unloading the dishwasher, entertaining her sister so I could get some cleaning done, making beds, picking up toys, throwing away diapers, any little job around the apartment she LOVED helping with. And then about six months ago that all stopped. She refuses to help. Cleaning up is either a major battle or I have to hold her hand and drag her around as “we” clean up together.
(Entertaining #ClaraBelle while I folded some laundry.)
I am told this is just part of the toddler phase… but I’m starting to doubt that these struggles will ever end. Oh how I just wish my kid will eat something green (actually she eats spinach all the time in her “milkshakes”, shhhhhh).
So here is two snippets from conversations I had with Miss #LivyLu today that helps me keep perspective that even though my daughter struggles to eat and clean up toys, she still is a great kid:
For lunch #LivyLu asked for chicken nuggets, a cheese stick, I told her she also needed to eat a frozen strawberry with that (she likes frozen fruit on occasion). Of course, I made it up and she looked at the plate, turned up her nose and refused to eat it (typical). I tried to talk her into eating and bribing her with a small slice of cookie bar if she ate even half her lunch, she wouldn't budge (this is when I struggle with her determination to have her way).
Then I had an idea. (Light Bulb!... I’ve watched too much Despicable Me...).
Me: Hey #LivyLu, if you eat all your lunch you can help me with the laundry.
#LivyLu: Right now?
Me: After you eat your lunch. But you have to eat all your food.
#LivyLu ran to the island and finished her entire plate in less than five minutes and proudly announced, “I finished, it’s laundry time and I’m helping!”
*que happy dance*
Fast forward to bedtime. Adam is changing #LivyLu’s diaper. She doesn’t want to go to bed, so she is kicking and yelling “No! Stop it!” and back talking like you wouldn't believe (that girl has serious sass). I try not to step in and parent over Adam, but I knew exactly what to do to get her to settle down.
Me: #LivyLu, would you like to help me with the laundry?
#LivyLu whips her head around: YES!
Me: You have to be a good girl for daddy and then you can come help me.
Immediate calm down and not even a minute later she is standing at my side ready to transfer clothes from the washer to the dryer.
Moral of this story: three-year-olds are rough! Every day I feel like I have to tiptoe around every situation trying to get #LivyLu to do anything--eat, listen, help out. BUT! My daughter can be convinced to do almost anything with the bribe of helping mom do laundry. I really don’t see how I can lose in a situation like that (#momwin).
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