My child is calm this morning so I can't help but think back to figure out what went into this glorious outcome.
Her diet and getting her to eat the things that are Actually good for her as opposed to the processed, sugar coated and filled snacks (non-foods) that she is so drawn is definitely the major factor in her energy and state of mood. That much is very clear. You get a totally different kind of kid if you just give her whatever she wants for breakfast as opposed to the healthful options. If she has free reign she will eat a kind of granola bar that is more akin to desert than anything else. She will drink (goat's) milk and eat these 'desert' snacks to her heart's content, if she is allowed, thus never really being hungry for 'real' food.
This morning all she has had thus far is an orange and a tangerine. The orange was cut into bite-size pieces and the tangerine she ate as is, that being small enough for her. That is, of course sugar, but it's in nature's form with nothing at all added. That has something to do with it, I'm sure. Even juice out of a store bought container is inferior to the fiber and unprocessed sugar of whole fruit. This will no doubt help with her bowels also. (Sorry, folks. I know that many of you are tired of hearing about bowels and poop and movements, etceteree, etceteraa, but as a father of a 3 year old these things just come with the territory...period. :) )
One of the main challenges with these little people is that they can be So Picky about even the textures, smells and the colors of the foods they consume that it can be very difficult to get good stuff 'down the gullet' without a domestic 'war' taking place, which doesn't do any good for anyone. Their fancy for certain foodstuffs can change several times in One Day even. "What? You liked bananas a few hours ago and now you've sworn them off", I say? "Un huh", she says. "Why", I say?
"I don't know. I just don't like them anymore; they're yucky".
Another thing that Christina and I are learning from this process is not to show exaggerated excitement when she is eating well because this can throw a wrench in to the works and cause everything to come to a screeching halt because, let's face it kids will use any leverage they've got. I know I would! "(Whispering) Don't look now, but she's actually eating ____and____. Good deal. Let's not show our approval or it might mess with the Quantum flow. Don't show any emotional charge or interest whatsoever" , we warn ourselves. It's funny (except on days that it isn't :) ), but the act of eating really turns out to be a game of leverage play, except for when they're about to 'starve' which makes them succomb to the law of the land, which is rare because they try hard as hell not to get to that point, which by the way is a game unto itself.
The upshot is that we try our darndest to do the best we can, but boy what a difference it makes in her behavior when we succeed at our close monitoring strategy and get good food down her without the processed white sugar for even a day. She's a different kid. It makes you seriously consider the legitimacy of some of those 'white sugar' conspiracy theories. :)
Her diet and getting her to eat the things that are Actually good for her as opposed to the processed, sugar coated and filled snacks (non-foods) that she is so drawn is definitely the major factor in her energy and state of mood. That much is very clear. You get a totally different kind of kid if you just give her whatever she wants for breakfast as opposed to the healthful options. If she has free reign she will eat a kind of granola bar that is more akin to desert than anything else. She will drink (goat's) milk and eat these 'desert' snacks to her heart's content, if she is allowed, thus never really being hungry for 'real' food.
This morning all she has had thus far is an orange and a tangerine. The orange was cut into bite-size pieces and the tangerine she ate as is, that being small enough for her. That is, of course sugar, but it's in nature's form with nothing at all added. That has something to do with it, I'm sure. Even juice out of a store bought container is inferior to the fiber and unprocessed sugar of whole fruit. This will no doubt help with her bowels also. (Sorry, folks. I know that many of you are tired of hearing about bowels and poop and movements, etceteree, etceteraa, but as a father of a 3 year old these things just come with the territory...period. :) )
One of the main challenges with these little people is that they can be So Picky about even the textures, smells and the colors of the foods they consume that it can be very difficult to get good stuff 'down the gullet' without a domestic 'war' taking place, which doesn't do any good for anyone. Their fancy for certain foodstuffs can change several times in One Day even. "What? You liked bananas a few hours ago and now you've sworn them off", I say? "Un huh", she says. "Why", I say?
"I don't know. I just don't like them anymore; they're yucky".
Another thing that Christina and I are learning from this process is not to show exaggerated excitement when she is eating well because this can throw a wrench in to the works and cause everything to come to a screeching halt because, let's face it kids will use any leverage they've got. I know I would! "(Whispering) Don't look now, but she's actually eating ____and____. Good deal. Let's not show our approval or it might mess with the Quantum flow. Don't show any emotional charge or interest whatsoever" , we warn ourselves. It's funny (except on days that it isn't :) ), but the act of eating really turns out to be a game of leverage play, except for when they're about to 'starve' which makes them succomb to the law of the land, which is rare because they try hard as hell not to get to that point, which by the way is a game unto itself.
The upshot is that we try our darndest to do the best we can, but boy what a difference it makes in her behavior when we succeed at our close monitoring strategy and get good food down her without the processed white sugar for even a day. She's a different kid. It makes you seriously consider the legitimacy of some of those 'white sugar' conspiracy theories. :)