It has come to my attention that my kids are snacking a lot in between meals, and they are snacking on the wrong things. I just had a confrontation with Patrick about cornflakes... While cornflakes and milk make a great breakfast, I don't feel that my kids should eat cereal all day. (They would if they could!)
I cut up a pear, two apples, a blood-orange and washed up some grapes and arranged them all on a plate. To me it was a delicious spread! I sat down on the kitchen floor and offered to share the refreshments with my kids. Evelyn agreed that this was a yummy snack, and she happily ate pear slices and grapes. Terrek who usually gobbles fruit, wasn't hungry and just ate one grape. He was too busy floating paper boats in the sink to bother with having a snack. Patrick was not impressed with the fruit plate. "I don't want any, I don't like it" he said. "I want cornflakes!"
"This is what's for snack," I said. "If you don't want any, that's fine, but you can't have cornflakes right now. This is our snack." Patrick started to cry and complain. As he was not at the table, but on the kitchen floor, in his mind, rule number 2 did not apply.
"This is our snack, you should try it, it's delicious," I said. He glared at the fruit and gave the dinner rules chart on the fridge the evil eye.
"I don't like the dinner rules! I don't like them." He discretely removed the dinner rules sheet from the fridge, went in the other room, and started punching the paper list in the air. I chose to ignore him, but I watched...curious as to what he would do next.
"Patrick is ripping the dinner rules!" tattled Terrek. I didn't give anyone any negative attention, I ignored the tattling and I ignored the sitting on top of the crumpled dinner rule sheet that Patrick was now doing.
We all finished our snack, except for Patrick. I went upstairs to do some work, while Rosemarie watched the kids. I left the fruit plate on the floor so the kids could help themselves. Terrek went back and helped himself to various fruits, Evelyn had some more grapes, but Patrick just kept fussing. Blah! How can you not like fruit? It's crunchy, it's fresh, there was a variety....Ahhh! Patrick is probably the most stubborn child that exists on Earth.
A few minutes into writing this, Patrick snuck upstairs chewing on something, and he had a smile on his face. "What are you chewing on?" I asked with a sneaking smile spreading across my face. He had a wide grin, all signs of complaint and dispair had vanished. He was chewing on a pear slice! He opened his mouth to show me. I made a huge, crazy, happy deal! I gave hugs, I gave high fives! I cheered, I praised. Patrick sucked it all up, feeling very proud of himself.
"Now can I have cornflakes?" he asked hopefully.
"You can have cornflakes for breakfast tomorrow," I said. "For snack we have fruit." Surprisingly, Patrick seemed to accept this news.
"I will eat this many pears!" Patrick said holding up ten fingers. More praise, more love and hugs went his way! As I am writing, he keeps coming upstairs and showing me his mouth, he finished the original pear that I cut up, and has now cleaned up a second pair that Rosemarie cut up. Woo hoo!!!! Success!!!!
"I'm the robber," Patrick declared, showing me the pear slices concealed in his hand.
"Robber!" shouted Evelyn, imitating her big brother. "Robber eat pear!" As she chewed on her pear I flooded her with love and praise too.
Positive attention is way nicer than negative attention. (I'll re-write the dinner rules for the fridge later). And apparently, it's also more effective! "I like pear," concluded Patrick!
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