Peace meal

Ladybug’s episodes of “mine!” continue, especially when it comes to food. Even though we all eat at the table at the same time – and for the most part, eat the same thing – Ladybug would much rather have what’s on your plate than hers.

“Piece,” she says, pointing at the scrambled egg on my husband’s plate. “Piece!”

“Look, you have some on your plate,” I reply.

“No! Piece!” Ladybug yells before dumping her plate on the floor.

After a variety of failed attempts at curbing those tantrums, we’ve learned the best way to handle them is to stop her meal at that point. We take Ladybug out of her high chair and explain that when she’s ready to eat without throwing her food, she can try again. Of course that always leaves me wondering if she’s eaten enough – especially when a plate goes flying before she’s even taken two bites.

But the other day we stumbled on a solution to my concerns. As Ladybug lingered by the table screaming for a bite from my husband’s plate, I pushed her untouched plate of food next to his. It was just out of her line of sight so, for all she knew, the forkful of egg coming her way was from her daddy’s plate.

“Mmm!” she said as she scarfed it down. “Piece!”

We continued like that until her plate was empty and she ran off with another satisfied “mmmm!”

She got her way, I got mine, and all of it amounted to one thing: Peace.

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