Wow.

You sure are opinionated, when it comes to the eating habits of preschoolers. And many of you are also lurking about, apparently, because then you de-lurk and all hell breaks loose. It's okay--you may return to your former lurkiness. I see you, there in the hedges. Hi! Now you’re waving!

I have learned much from the 400-plus comments on the last post. (Yes, I did read them. Do you think I have anything better to do?) Here are my learnings!

1. Compared to some of your freakish offspring, my child enjoys a healthy variety of foodstuffs. (My favorite is the marshmallows-in-the-Lucky-Charms diet.)

2. The children who eat everything make up for their sophisticated palette by refusing to sleep (thankfully, we don’t have that problem at the Finslippy household).

3.The children who eat everything and sleep well belong to people I don’t want to talk to.

4. I’m kidding about that last part.

5. Forcing your child to eat certain foods will invariably lead to vomiting on the Fiestaware.

6. Not forcing your child to eat certain foods will either result in healthy eating habits or crippling food issues.

7. Many people take the time to comment and only write “Hi!” or its more formal variation, “Hello!”

8. Many people who read Finslippy live in my neighborhood, and are watching, ever watching. And that's fine! Excuse me while I lower my shades!

No, seriously, I liked all the comments! I did! I felt all popular and stuff. I wanted to mail all the comments I got to my junior-high tormentor who would send me threatening notes in Social Studies. YOUR UGLY MEET ME AFTER SCHOOL SO I CAN BEAT YOU UP. (If you’re going to spell it out for me like that, you think I’m going to show up? NO THANK YOU I AM GOING HOME TO WATCH THE LITTLE RASCALS AND EAT CHEESE SANDWICHES.) I don't know if she can receive mail at her mobile home, though, HA HA HA HA HA.

Who am I kidding. She's probably rich and her kid eats kimchee and octopus.

Anyway, I have a newfound appreciation of my son’s dietary habits, and smile tolerantly instead of screaming intolerantly when he squawks in horror at the sight of nutrition. He’s not eating any better, but I sure as hell am drinking more. And that works for me.

Comments

[Abby]

Aside from the food and other slight random idiosyncracies (such as a fairly extreme germ phobia and a severe hatred of spoons), he's actually quite a sweet and mature-ish guy most of the time.

Good Lord, I swear he isn't as nuts as he sounds! Or maybe we're both weird and therefore offset each other?? =)

[Lori]

Oh man, I wish I had been one of the 400. And I wish I had a kid. One with creepy food issues so I could one up you! Instead I'll just be another dumb de-lurker saying hi or hello. And de-lurking week is probably over. Dammit! Never mind.

[alice]

Arabella, TELL ME WHERE. I will only think you're creepy if you give me the blueberries in person. In my bedroom. In the middle of the night.

[Lori]

I have 6 kids, all with different feeding issues. I'm thinking about not feeding them tomorrow. That'll teach them!

[liz]

When my son went through that the first time (we've been through about three phases of it) I just made (or ordered) things I liked (asparagus, sushi, parchment prawns), and served him things he'd like and would NOT let him taste what was on my plate. "No." I said. "This is for grown-ups"

Soon, he was BEGGING for a taste. BEGGING!

Forbidden fruit.

It works.

This has worked for

[Sarcomical]

as a kind-of-new reader, all i can say is DAYUM GIRL, you sure know how to generate some conversation! and also how to sum it up quite nicely. ;)

also, you should totally post a note to your tormenter on your blog that says I AM HOT AND EVERYONE LOVES ME AND ALSO YOU PROBABLY LIVE IN A VAN.

thanks for being so hilarious each. and. every. blessed. time.

[s]

My 3YO eats everything, sleeps 12 hours at night AND has a nap in the afternoon. On the other hand, she doesn't know her own name and has an aversion to using the potty.

Things are shaping up nicely around here.

[Amy Jo]

Hi there! I decided to wait a few days to un-lurk, so as not to get lost in the sauce. Thanks for writing so honestly about raising children. I am expecting my first in 4 weeks, and I enjoy your insight! Good luck!

[LoLo]

"Seven Silly Eaters" was the book that changed life around here. (I wish)

[Nothing But Bonfires]

Sure, her kid probably eats kimchee and octopus THAT HE STOLE AFTER ROBBING A LITTLE OLD LADY. And they won't serve that to him when he ends up in jail.

[Sharyn]

I meant to de-lurk last post, but here I am instead. My six year-old's pickiness didn't rear its ugly head until he was about four. Certain family members of ours have tried to blame it on the fact that we're vegan...but I found the blog of this vegan mom whose seven year-old loves, LOVES brussels sprouts. And tamales. And kiwi. And everything else she gives him. Boy, do I ever feel inadequate. I hope it's just a phase (the pickiness and the accompanying feelings of inadequacy). At least the boy sleeps well, and takes his vitamins. Sigh.

[Karen Rani]

Your shades are blocking my view. From Canada.:)456 comments! HOLY SHITBALLS!

[honestyrain]

wow, people sure have a lot to say about kids and food and kids and everything in general. everyone is an expert.

i've got one of each. a kid who eats what you put in front of him and always has. loves sushi, broccoli, soup, whatever. the other one? the other one eats precisely four things: crackers, crackers, crackers and yogurt. so whatever theories people offer suck because it's the kid. i growed mine the same way and look: different.

offer the food, they'll eat what they eat but don't (and here's where me expertise SHINES) go around treating them like all they eat is (fill in the blank) because you'll stop offering and stop trying to get them to eat other things and all will be lost. they will develop scurvey and other dietary illnesses like Only Eats Crackers and Yogurt disease.

also, mine eat different but sleep the same so that theory is crapola. so says i and i am an expert.

[Diana]

When I checked in on the last post, you only had a hundred and some odd comments, and I said to myself "I'm not going to comment, she has enough to read".HA! That was funny...Anyway, my son only eats whats on my plate. He's 15 months. Literally, he just sticks his hand in my food. And says "Dis?"Anything I eat. I guess he figures "If she's eating it it must be fine."

[bee]

heh. All these comments made me have to go eat some chicken nuggets. Now I'm going to take a nap. As for my daughter? Everyone has their price. We bribe her to eat vegetables. It's working so far...

[Lala]

My kid recently discovered shrimp. He's 13. Hummus and pita has been a staple of his dite since he was 2. Thank g-d for garlic.Get Henry a big brother/step brother, he'll try anything they do. Works for our family! heh

[Shelli]

"Receive mail in her mobile home..." Ha Ha Ha. You slay me!

[Wendy]

Umm, yeah, remember how I told you how great my daughter is with her eating of salad and what not?

I forgot to mention that the other 99% of what she eats must be doused in ketchup.

It's gross, I sometimes can't watch :-) But hey, she's happy.

And yet, the child will not let a tomato cross her lips...

[suzanne]

dude, what's (a) kimchee?

[TB]

I once knew a woman whose son would eat nothing green for years. Including parsley sprinkled atop a cheese pizza. And I went through a phase for a few weeks where the bulk of my nine year old diet consisted of twizzlers and rice cakes.Keep drinking. Everything will be fine.

[Abby]

PS (8 years later)- I so meant HENRY, not Jackson. That's what I get for reading your blogs back-to-back! :)

[Arabella]

I think they were at the Met Food on 7th Avenue around 2nd Street. There's also a greengrocer with reasonably priced fruit about two blocks north of that, also on 7th, near a liquor store (not that I'd know anything about THAT).

I'd also suggest frozen, but even child-free me knows that a 3-year-old boy would never entertain the notion of consuming the oddly-shaped THAWED version of something he usually likes.

Can I come to your bedroom in the middle of the night if I bring rum cake instead of blueberries? You probably throw a good slumber party.

[Mrs. Kennedy]

I was going to say, did you rename Henry? How cute that we have sons with the same name now!

I read "Bread and Jam for Francis" every now and then to Jackson, it made him want to try hard-boiled eggs.

[liz]

My almost four-year-old has a specific list of foods she will eat and there are rules about how many of them may be eaten. Fortunately, she loves rice which allows us to eat out at Asian and Mexican restaurants. We still take her out though, even if she won't eat anything on the menu. I just feed her first and she can damn well sit there and color because I want pizza and it's not my fault she won't eat it!

[Coelecanth]

Ok, we're still on food fun. As a young lad I loved, and I mean LOVED, to eat Alphabits on toast. Wouldn't touch anything else. I can't imagine what my mother thought.