Modern Mythology

Owen, who turned five in December, is not a good eater. He never has been. Meal time in our house generally means a little bit of conversation in between reminders to Owen to keep eating. It’s not that he has no interest in eating; in fact he often tells us that he’s starving and can’t wait for his next meal. But once he sits down, he says he’s full after only a couple of bites.

Janette pointed out that next year, when he’s in grade one, he’ll be on his own at mealtime. If he doesn’t take it upon himself to finish the healthy parts of his lunch, there will not be anyone looking over his shoulder to make sure he’s gotten enough.

With that in mind, yesterday morning, during yet another frustrating breakfast, I told Owen that he’s not going to get any desserts until he shows us that he can do a good job eating his meals for a full week. I think it’s a reasonable approach. He’s old enough to take some responsibility.

Unfortunately, we had already planned a dinner at Boston Pizza with my father to help Drew celebrate his recent birthday. The kids’ meals at Boston Pizza come with a big chocolate-chip cookie, and I was expecting a big battle from Owen. After a few “Dad, look how much I’m eating” attempts to win favour, he slipped into his usual pattern and Janette ended up feeding him much of his food.

Surprisingly, he didn’t get upset about not getting a cookie! When we all got up to leave, he was standing at the end of the table with the cookie sitting right in front of him. He reached over, pushed it toward Drew, and said “Eat it” with a little smile on his face. I was very proud of him! So proud, in fact, that I immediately wanted to break down and give him the cookie for being so mature about it. Argh! It’s tough being a responsible parent!