I had to buy yet another new wardrobe for Rory who is seven and as Giant as the Giant Four Year Old. Eleven inches in two years! Twenty one pounds! She has surpassed her nine year old sister and will probably soon be taller than me.
Bridget on the other hand needs to be weight-checked in two months.
I alternate between obsessing about the one who eats too little and the one who is constantly coming downstairs in some hackneyed punk rock I got dressed in the dark with my eyes closed outfit because -- whine with me please -- "nothing fits mooommmmmmm!". And nothing does fit. And so I hand the outgrowns to the older sister who needs to cinch 'em up.
And then I head to about sixty five different places because R will not wear just any clothes. They can not have a butterfly or a fairy or gasp! be pink. They can not be shiny or sparkly or (her words) "glowy." I aim for solids, because in her world, stripes go with plaids go with tie dye, and since I don't hassle anyone about clothing choices, it just makes the morning less stressful -- in a visual sense -- on us all. Whatever she wears will come home filthy and probably ripped, so cheap is at the top of the criteria list, too.
I can have do drive myself crazy about the other one who seems to be giving a new name to "picky eater." I know I shouldn't. Laying off is what all the books say to do, and frankly, after trying the bribing and the begging and the threats, not doing anything seems to make the dinner hour fifteen minutes happiest. Happier. (You can really get a hang up about your culinary skills when cooking for children.)
Friday, November 21, 2008
Wardrobe, Food, Family=Fun?
Since I have been size M most of my life and never much cared about that, and since I seem to be just about the only person I know who can't find the way to the gym or the boot camp (6am? Um, nothanks), and since I personally enjoy everything from truffle oil to Taco Bell, I cannot for the life of me figure out where this tooth-pick food-hater gets it.
I mention this all because the Big Feast approacheth. And inevitably someone will point out how little the older one eats and how messy the younger one is. The GFYO will probably wipe out down the stairs or break something or generally distract our attention for a few short minutes, but the comments will come. And I won't have the answers or any answer so I will smile and say something about Obama or Palin because nothing says tension-free family gathering more than a little political gamesmanship between the token "socialist" (ie: me) and most everyone else in the Kid's family.
But at least we won't be talking about my kids. And you gotta be thankful for something.
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16commentsBrilliant Person Wrote...
Your younger daughter and I seem to share the same sense of style--nothing glowy for me either, thanks.
I fear the same conversation here too. The girl who eats too much and the boy who refuses to eat. I hide them at the kids table, and sit with them so no one see's me shovelling his food onto her plate. Keeps 'em both happy, and thankful that there are a few days a year when I don't say "slow down, do you want a trough", or "don't make me make you sit there all night".
Good luck! I also fear that I will get to listen to my aunts bitching about a black president, a gay cousin, and how much cheese costs in China. That and how she has lost 1/2 of her 401K and doesn't know how she will ever retire - because SHE is the only one that has lost money in the stock market.
Oh, that, and how she doesn't understand how my dad can take a two week vacation in Mexico (leaves tomorrow), come back for a week, and then leave for Arizona for 3 months. Not in these times she doesn't understand.
Well I get it. I know how he does it. Its called making a shit load of money, investing it wisely, not wasting, and preparing for the lifestyle he planned to lead. Not buying a new car every 2 years, and buying every self help book out there. Trust me, they aren't working!
Bwahahhahahahaha! I love holidays!
Any time I get stupid family-sourced comments like those (or unlike those) about my kids, I always respond with, "Well, it's because TheWife is a terrible mother. Really. All her fault." At which point, the questioner realizes either 1) I'm not going to respond with anything but sarcasm, so they give up; or 2) They're not going to like the way this conversation is going, so they give up. Either way, I win.
Anyhow. Sandinista! Enjoy the People's Thanksgiving...
TwoBusy, I love your style! My choice is to respond with a questioning look and a tilted head. The non-verbals do the trick.
Good Momma, Ms. Picket, for not letting food define your children. The comments get internalized far too often.
I envy B's pickiness. I really do. To eat 3 bites of a sandwich and walk away completely content is a real gift.
I think my daughter and Rory might be best friends if they lived in the same town. Megan kinda has a Punky Brewster-esque style. I don't even fight it anymore. I have two rules- it needs to be weather appropriate and clean. That's it.
Um hum. Been there. Done that.
But, catch this.
My mini-skinny, isn't picky. She will eat almost anything. But she just doesn't eat. She also wore hand-me-ups.
Younger, a/k/a "the bigger", is the picky one. *sigh*
And this is why we are kiindred spirits. One supremely picky eater: check. One gangly grows too fast picky clothes wearer: check. I guess Brewster can stand in on my end for the GFYO.
My Man Cub is the picky one. Baby girl (5) simply refuses to brush any part of her body unless under duress; it's awesome.
Lucy ate two lunches and is rebelling against things off the kids' menu at dinner ("still hungry!"). She is 6 and is the largest consumer of groceries in our family. Nevertheless, she can fit into her 3yo brother's pants if she wears them as capris.
I feel your pain on this one. The food issues kill me. I fooking hate them.
Eating habits and rituals end up being the source of tension in every single extended family I know of.
I knew Sarah Palin would end up doing somebody some good.
I screwed up and didn't plan for Thanksgiving this year. And living in a country in which Thanksgiving doesn't exist, this means there will be no Thanksgiving for us. I was kind of depressed about that but your post reminded me of the family dynamics that I can do without, so maybe I won't miss it that much after all.
Thanks for reminding me why I chose to avoid the big extended family Thanksgiving! I might actually get to enjoy myself this year!
I just took a gander at my son's closet and realized that all of his fancy pants are about 6 inches too short. Of course, we are in the middle of a baseball tournament that takes place every night this week..so not really sure what I'm going to do about that!
All I can think about is how lucky you are to eat everything from truffle oil to Taco Bell and still have been a size MEDIUM most of your life.
I would have voted for McCain if I could have been magically made a size M. You. Lucky. Girl!
But maybe the moral of your story is that there is no telling what packages we all will come in and that in the end we love who we love despite them...
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