Carrots from Hell
When he was three I got Colin to really start eating vegetables. Tomatoes, carrots, peppers, "lettuce" (aka spinach). There was an initial resistance, but between the lure of a cheese reward and Colin's love of all things "dip" we got over it. Now he happily eats a salad without even thinking to complain.
Ryan is a different beast. He hates cheese. He hates any type of dressing or dip (except for catsup). And he refuses to negotiate. I've even tried offering a lollipop reward and he won't take me up on it. A "nope" means exactly that, NO. He will sometimes eat cooked vegetables, but pretty much only peas and corn, and that's just not enough variety.
So I'm having to take a hard line with my darling Little Number Two. He'll sometimes eat carrots with soy butter, so I'm trying to start there.
This is how it is going.
DAY 1
Me: No candy unless you finish dinner.
Hari: Just eat one carrot and you can have the lollipop.
Me: ??!!??!!??
Hari: I'm on the clock on this.
Me: ???!!!???!!!
Ryan: (carrot in mouth) UUNNNHH! I can't do it. It is too hard.
Hari: hysterical laughter
Ryan: Its not working. (More fake straining with the impenetrable teeny carrot)
Hari: more laughter
Ryan: NNNNNUUUUUHHHH! Can I have the lollipop now? Its too hard!
Hari: more helpless laughter
DAY 2
(I set down a plate with four carrots, slathered in soy butter. Hari was NOT present.)
Me: Ryan, you have to finish your carrots, then you can have a slice of pizza.
Ryan: silence
I continue merrily making the rest of dinner while the boys are "eating" until I look over and notice that while Colin's salad is disappearing Ryan has licked the soy butter off the carrots and is now pointedly ignoring them.
Me: Ryan, you have to finish your carrots. The pizza will be done soon, and you can't eat it until your carrots are gone.
Ryan: I don' like carrots.
Me: Ryan, you eat carrots all the time. (This is only a semi-fabrication - he HAS eaten them in the past!) Just hurry up and finish them.
Ryan: No.
Oh crap. Here we go.
Me: Then no pizza.
Ryan: I WANT MY PIZZA!!!!!!!!!!!!! sobbing starts
Me. No. No pizza unless you finish your carrots.
The shrieking sobbing that followed cannot be described - you would have to live it to understand. The child literally screamed and cried, at top volume, for more than an hour. Demanding pizza and refusing to eat his carrots. I somehow held fast, and much, much later after the boys were showered and in their pajamas Ryan finally ended up finishing his carrots and pizza.
DAY 3
Family dinner. Ryan is again given a nominal serving of carrots (6 baby carrots) with soy butter. He licks off the soy butter and refuses to eat the carrots. He decides he is leaving the table.
Hari: Don't get up unless you're ready to go to bed.
Ryan: ?????
Me: Ryan, we're serious. If you get out of your chair you're going straight to bed. If you don't want to eat the carrots then you can just sit with the family while the rest of us eat our dinner.
Ryan: glaring in disbelief, but still holding fast and refusing to eat carrots.
This went on for a good half hour. By that time Colin was done and was excused from the table so I got up and went to do puzzles with him while Hari and Ryan stayed at the table.
Hari later gave me the details: he "did bid-ness" and negotiated with Ryan. Ryan ate three baby carrots and was allowed to eat the remainder of his dinner. He was very pleased with himself, but I had to ask... "Why are you negotiating with a three year old???"
Life with this kid is gonna get seriously tough. I can only imagine his teen years - he's breaking us down already and this is JUST FREAKING CARROTS. Lord help me!!!
Ryan is a different beast. He hates cheese. He hates any type of dressing or dip (except for catsup). And he refuses to negotiate. I've even tried offering a lollipop reward and he won't take me up on it. A "nope" means exactly that, NO. He will sometimes eat cooked vegetables, but pretty much only peas and corn, and that's just not enough variety.
So I'm having to take a hard line with my darling Little Number Two. He'll sometimes eat carrots with soy butter, so I'm trying to start there.
This is how it is going.
DAY 1Me: No candy unless you finish dinner.
Hari: Just eat one carrot and you can have the lollipop.
Me: ??!!??!!??
Hari: I'm on the clock on this.
Me: ???!!!???!!!
Ryan: (carrot in mouth) UUNNNHH! I can't do it. It is too hard.
Hari: hysterical laughter
Ryan: Its not working. (More fake straining with the impenetrable teeny carrot)
Hari: more laughter
Ryan: NNNNNUUUUUHHHH! Can I have the lollipop now? Its too hard!
Hari: more helpless laughter
DAY 2
(I set down a plate with four carrots, slathered in soy butter. Hari was NOT present.)
Me: Ryan, you have to finish your carrots, then you can have a slice of pizza.
Ryan: silence
I continue merrily making the rest of dinner while the boys are "eating" until I look over and notice that while Colin's salad is disappearing Ryan has licked the soy butter off the carrots and is now pointedly ignoring them.
Me: Ryan, you have to finish your carrots. The pizza will be done soon, and you can't eat it until your carrots are gone.
Ryan: I don' like carrots.
Me: Ryan, you eat carrots all the time. (This is only a semi-fabrication - he HAS eaten them in the past!) Just hurry up and finish them.
Ryan: No.
Oh crap. Here we go.
Me: Then no pizza.
Ryan: I WANT MY PIZZA!!!!!!!!!!!!! sobbing starts
Me. No. No pizza unless you finish your carrots.
The shrieking sobbing that followed cannot be described - you would have to live it to understand. The child literally screamed and cried, at top volume, for more than an hour. Demanding pizza and refusing to eat his carrots. I somehow held fast, and much, much later after the boys were showered and in their pajamas Ryan finally ended up finishing his carrots and pizza.
DAY 3
Family dinner. Ryan is again given a nominal serving of carrots (6 baby carrots) with soy butter. He licks off the soy butter and refuses to eat the carrots. He decides he is leaving the table.
Hari: Don't get up unless you're ready to go to bed.
Ryan: ?????
Me: Ryan, we're serious. If you get out of your chair you're going straight to bed. If you don't want to eat the carrots then you can just sit with the family while the rest of us eat our dinner.
Ryan: glaring in disbelief, but still holding fast and refusing to eat carrots.
This went on for a good half hour. By that time Colin was done and was excused from the table so I got up and went to do puzzles with him while Hari and Ryan stayed at the table.
Hari later gave me the details: he "did bid-ness" and negotiated with Ryan. Ryan ate three baby carrots and was allowed to eat the remainder of his dinner. He was very pleased with himself, but I had to ask... "Why are you negotiating with a three year old???"
Life with this kid is gonna get seriously tough. I can only imagine his teen years - he's breaking us down already and this is JUST FREAKING CARROTS. Lord help me!!!
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