When Jeff lost his job at the airport, one of the things he was looking forward to, was dinner nightly with his family.
Little did he know, that the ninos had been working on developing the Eight Stages of Dinner. I think they have perfected it. They practice every night.
First, we have the Shock Stage.
"What? I can't eat this. I don't like this dinner. I can't eat it."
That lasts for about two minutes and then launches promptly into Denial.
"I'm not eating it! I'm not!"
This stage also does not last long, probably because we are completely ignoring them at this point.
The next stage, Silliness, is the longest, and most intolerable in my opinion. There is spilling of beverages, dancing in the seat, creative usage of utensils, playing with food, games, squealing and other loud obnoxious noises, singing, and pretty much any behavior not appropriate for the dinner table.
This is usually about where Jeff and I finish, and leave the table, because Dyleva is just fooling around.
Next comes Anger. There is yelling. "I don't want to eat my ____! I don't like _____ ! I want ____ instead!!!"
Sometimes -almost immediately coinciding with the next stage- is Depression. Sorrow. Crying and sobbing at the dinner table.
The Bargaining Stage actually comes right in between the crying and sorrow.
Dylan especially, is infamous for, "Can you give me a deal?! Can you give me a deal please?"
The Testing Stage is next, and a quick one. This is where the ninos try to find creative solutions to their problems, like "accidently" dropping food on the floor, feeding it to Marley, or even sharing.
"Mommy," asks Eva, "How about Dylan eats my carne and I will eat his beans?"
Last, and especially not least, we have Acceptance. The ninos finally eat what is expected of them. By now, its nearly bed time, and dinner has lasted almost two hours.
For babies and toddlers that LOVED to eat and had great appetites, these recent behaviors bewilder me.
So...anyone want to come over for dinner???
Little did he know, that the ninos had been working on developing the Eight Stages of Dinner. I think they have perfected it. They practice every night.
First, we have the Shock Stage.
"What? I can't eat this. I don't like this dinner. I can't eat it."
That lasts for about two minutes and then launches promptly into Denial.
"I'm not eating it! I'm not!"
This stage also does not last long, probably because we are completely ignoring them at this point.
The next stage, Silliness, is the longest, and most intolerable in my opinion. There is spilling of beverages, dancing in the seat, creative usage of utensils, playing with food, games, squealing and other loud obnoxious noises, singing, and pretty much any behavior not appropriate for the dinner table.
This is usually about where Jeff and I finish, and leave the table, because Dyleva is just fooling around.
Next comes Anger. There is yelling. "I don't want to eat my ____! I don't like _____ ! I want ____ instead!!!"
Sometimes -almost immediately coinciding with the next stage- is Depression. Sorrow. Crying and sobbing at the dinner table.
The Bargaining Stage actually comes right in between the crying and sorrow.
Dylan especially, is infamous for, "Can you give me a deal?! Can you give me a deal please?"
The Testing Stage is next, and a quick one. This is where the ninos try to find creative solutions to their problems, like "accidently" dropping food on the floor, feeding it to Marley, or even sharing.
"Mommy," asks Eva, "How about Dylan eats my carne and I will eat his beans?"
Last, and especially not least, we have Acceptance. The ninos finally eat what is expected of them. By now, its nearly bed time, and dinner has lasted almost two hours.
For babies and toddlers that LOVED to eat and had great appetites, these recent behaviors bewilder me.
So...anyone want to come over for dinner???
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