I try to learn my lessons after I make a mistake. Sometimes (okay, maybe most of the time) it takes a few times of making the same mistake for me to really learn what I'm supposed to learn from it, but with this one, I'm not sure I want to learn my lesson. I think I'm somewhat of a clean freak by nature (and by nature I mean my dad). I'm not obsessive - my house it often scattered with toys and dishes and whatever, but it's minimal and controllable. This - this is not controllable. I'm talking about letting my kids feed themselves. I know - such a small thing to worry about. But when Rix was little, I fed him more than I care to admit because I didn't want him to get food on his clothes, the floor, or himself. Because of this, even to this day, he still asks me if I will "help him" eat, which means pretty much shoveling the food in his mouth for him. I see the error of my ways, and I was better with Bryce, but in Bryce's case, he hates being messy too so he was a pretty clean eater. Then came along Cole. He prefers mess to clean, chaos to organized play. When he eats, he usually requires several baby wipes to wipe him off. And the one food I hate for my kids to eat by themselves?? (Come on you moms - you should know this one!!) SPAGHETTI!! The sauce is so hard to get out of clothes, their faces keep a faint orange tint - even after a bath, the tub gets an orange ring around it after they bathe, and the noodles are all over the floor. It's so much easier just to feed them MYSELF, because none of the above happens. But the other day Bryan wasn't home and I was doing dinner solo. I made meatballs so they were easy to eat. I cut the noodles so they were easier to get in the little mouths, but I just couldn't find the time to feed Cole fast enough (he prefers the shovel method). So I gave in. I let him feed himself. I gave him a bowl and a fork (he won't eat anything unless he has a fork in his hand - weird, I know). I just didn't watch him, in fear that I would snatch the bowl away and throw him in the tub before he was done eating. But he did pretty well. Most of the food got in his mouth. The high chair tray was pretty gross (and retained that infamous orange tint for several days) and the floor needed a good mopping, but it wasn't so bad. He got a pre-bath to get all the food chunks off, but I'm still not sold on the idea of him feeding himself messy foods in the future. I guess we will have to see how much energy I have saved up for dinner time. And if Bryan is maybe willing to do clean-up duty next time.
Cole enjoying his dinner. He really doesn't miss any meals, and he by far eats more than Bryce!
Eating with his fork. And if he got cantaloupe in his mouth, he would immediately spit it out. Yesterday he loved it - today not so much.
7 comments:
Haha... were you just antsy to clean him up as you were video taping that? Apparently spaghetti is more fun to eat when it's on the tray, not the bowl. I'm the same way though. When my kids are eating something and they are making a mess, I am always hovering around with a baby wipe and precleaning until they are done and then they get a big wipe down!
Luckily my kids are a bit of clean freaks too (as far as their own hands are concerned). Too bad they don't care when their food ends up all over the floor. I seriously vacuum the dining room every evening after dinner...I think I should just teach Hayden out to do it. We haven't had spaghetti in a while, and thanks to your post, it will probably stay that way =) But Cole is cute even with an orange-ish face!
I really try to foster independence as much as possible. Instead of thinking of myself as a lazy mom (as in feeding them, not the cleaning part...that requires work!). If I did everything for them I'd be running around and around all day! And, Austin still wants us to feed him too..I fight that as much as I can. Kade feeds himself and Austin can't? Must be a 3rd child thing or something...
I am glad that I am not the only one that feels that way. Luke wont even let us try and feed him, and he wont use silverware. I have a couple days were Luke was in the tub after every meal. I wish I could put his chair out side and then spray him off with hose. Cole sure is cute.
haha It was a super exciting video :) I love Rix talking in the background. I also love how Bryce gets so excited when he hears the right answer to the questions you ask. Is he eating spaghetti? Yeah! ...Is her name Natalie? No. Is her name Ana Lee? yeah! haha.
I agree with Kelli, Cole is VERY cute!
Hey Celeste! About my boys blogs- I am super lazy and don't write in mt journal. I have those blogs so that I can write down if they do something funny or something I want to remember. I chose a blog so that i can add pictures. When i get around to scrapbooking then i can go there and get all my info. Hope you guys are doing well. july will be here before you know it. We can't wait o see you guys.
They are so darn cute!! Macade is a total clean freak, takes after his mother...OCD i swear. But they have to learn somehow, thats what cory always said. Easy for him to say, who usually did the clean up!?! :-)
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