livwithroz

I've recently let go of control of my kids meals. For years I followed the
advice, "If they don't eat what you give them make them wait for the next meal.
They won't starve themselves". Well, that achieved no success. They ate what
they wanted of what I gave them and went many meals without food. It didn't make
them balanced eaters. Now I've gone completely the other way and allowed my two
girls, 6 & 4, free choice starting with their input at the store. They loved it
at first , but now my 6 yr. old has taken to wanting just flour, or just
ketchup. This is REALLY hard for me because I started milking dairy goats 2
years ago, raise and process our own chickens, make my own sourdough bread,
yogurt, cheese, bone broth soups, etc. because I see the value in knowing where
my food came from and how it;s processed. Now my kids are pretty much boycotting
all of my food, most fruits and all veges and most proteins! Has anyone had this
situation? Will they really start making good choices?

Sarah

What you yourself eat and value will have the most impact of their adult lives and diets. Keep making your bread and raising your chickens and enjoy it. In the meantime support their choices too and let them find value their own way.

My parents were very keen on food, my father especially keen on Indian food but I hated it as a child- the textures and sauces rather than the heat. There was one particular dish (Marsala Fried Potatoes) that my father made every week as a special treat for them to eat in front of their favourite TV show, and every week he made me scrambled eggs and chips instead, bless him. Now, as a adult, Marsala Fried Potatoes is my favourite dish (it has to be made by my dad, or it just isn't the same), and I always choose it for special meals when I get the chance. I don't think that would be true if I had been forced to eat it every week as a child.

It's hard to avoid turning into your parents! Let them enjoy their own explorations before starting work on their sourdough starters and allotments.

Or maybe they'll go a completely different route- but if that's the case then far better for you to support them than alienate them.

Sarah

--- In [email protected], "livwithroz" <livwithroz@...> wrote:
>
> I've recently let go of control of my kids meals. For years I followed the
> advice, "If they don't eat what you give them make them wait for the next meal.
> They won't starve themselves". Well, that achieved no success. They ate what
> they wanted of what I gave them and went many meals without food. It didn't make
> them balanced eaters. Now I've gone completely the other way and allowed my two
> girls, 6 & 4, free choice starting with their input at the store. They loved it
> at first , but now my 6 yr. old has taken to wanting just flour, or just
> ketchup. This is REALLY hard for me because I started milking dairy goats 2
> years ago, raise and process our own chickens, make my own sourdough bread,
> yogurt, cheese, bone broth soups, etc. because I see the value in knowing where
> my food came from and how it;s processed. Now my kids are pretty much boycotting
> all of my food, most fruits and all veges and most proteins! Has anyone had this
> situation? Will they really start making good choices?
>

Robin Bentley

> I've recently let go of control of my kids meals. For years I
> followed the
> advice, "If they don't eat what you give them make them wait for the
> next meal.
> They won't starve themselves". Well, that achieved no success. They
> ate what
> they wanted of what I gave them and went many meals without food. It
> didn't make
> them balanced eaters.

Well, if they ate what they wanted from what you gave them, it was
balanced for them.

Balance doesn't happen at every meal for most kids. One of the things
I learned at La Leche League was that children will get the nutrients
they need over, say, a week.

> Now I've gone completely the other way and allowed my two
> girls, 6 & 4, free choice starting with their input at the store.

Maybe doing a complete turnaround from control to no control is part
of the problem. Saying yes to requests and gradually making changes to
how you do things is less confusing for children.

http://justaddlightandstir.blogspot.com/2010/12/just-right.html

Most importantly, it's how you change your attitude that will make the
difference. *You* think about these things first, without making
wholesale changes to your lives. "Read a little, try a little, wait a
while, watch" is excellent advice.


> They loved it
> at first , but now my 6 yr. old has taken to wanting just flour, or
> just
> ketchup.

Maybe she's exploring texture and taste. If she hasn't been allowed to
before, this might be a necessary step. And she might be afraid that
you've gone crazy, so she'd better do this now while she can, before
you put the controls back on.

Have you tried monkey platters? http://sandradodd.com/eating/monkeyplatter

You can put flour and ketchup on it, too <g>

Robin B.


Sandra Dodd

-=-Now I've gone completely the other way and allowed my two
girls, 6 & 4, free choice starting with their input at the store. They loved it
at first , but now my 6 yr. old has taken to wanting just flour, or just
ketchup.-=-

Wanting to buy flour at the store? (Wanting you to make cookies with it, or to see what it is?)
Or wanting to eat flour at home?

If you're not clear in your accounts of what's happening at your house, it will be harder for others to learn from your experience, or for people to make suggestions.

Why (and how!?) would a child eat flour?

Please clarify.

Sandra

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Lisa E Biesemeyer

"Why (and how!?) would a child eat flour?"

Rowan, 4.5yo, will eat flour and water any chance she gets, which is usually
when we are baking, making pizza dough, or she is playing with these ingredients
while I cook. I don't think it is because she is actually hungry for it, though;
it seems that more often than not she is pretending that it is something else.
Nevertheless, my child eats the flour.

Lisa B



Lisa Biesemeyer




________________________________

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Ginger

I'm sorry you are making fun of me because my child is eating a cup of flour with a spoon. Yes she wants to eat flour in a cup with a spoon. Yes, she wants to eat ketchup in a cup with a spoon. I was hoping to get encouragement and I have gotten
some. So, thank you who have. I'm just trying my best and my child happens to be extreme. She always has been. When she was three she decided to wear nothing but princess dresses with hats and feathers in the hat. Night and day and we let her. Then exactly one year later she declared she didn't want to wear dresses, but at that time I had no jeans!! Anyway, she hated homeschooling and as I mentioned she made no bones about telling anyone how much she hated it. So I looked into unschooling and believed that was the best way for her. Since I read more and decided to give up more control I saw a spring effect. And maybe I didn't need to post this because I know who she is and that she is and always had been extreme. But I just thought I'd get encouragement not criticism. I'm sure we'll make a success of life because I believe this will give her the confidence and security she needs. Plus we are trying our hardest to being loving, supportive parents. I enjoy hearing other peoples experiences and had hoped I would find someone who went through the same thing and I guess unrealistically hoped someone would say this will all straighten out soon. Anyway, I'll do my best. Thanks.

Sent from my iPhone

On Dec 2, 2010, at 3:44 PM, Sandra Dodd <Sandra@...> wrote:

> -=-Now I've gone completely the other way and allowed my two
> girls, 6 & 4, free choice starting with their input at the store. They loved it
> at first , but now my 6 yr. old has taken to wanting just flour, or just
> ketchup.-=-
>
> Wanting to buy flour at the store? (Wanting you to make cookies with it, or to see what it is?)
> Or wanting to eat flour at home?
>
> If you're not clear in your accounts of what's happening at your house, it will be harder for others to learn from your experience, or for people to make suggestions.
>
> Why (and how!?) would a child eat flour?
>
> Please clarify.
>
> Sandra
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Sandra Dodd

-=-I'm sorry you are making fun of me because my child is eating a cup of flour with a spoon. Yes she wants to eat flour in a cup with a spoon. Yes, she wants to eat ketchup in a cup with a spoon. I was hoping to get encouragement and I have gotten
some.-=-

I wasn't making fun of you, I was asking for clarification.

-=-I'm just trying my best and my child happens to be extreme. She always has been. When she was three she decided to wear nothing but princess dresses with hats and feathers in the hat. Night and day and we let her.-=-

I don't see why princess dresses would be "extreme." It might be better not to label her "extreme."

Other things mentioned were not changing too quickly, and monkey platters.

Here are links on those ideas:
http://sandradodd.com/gradualchange
http://sandradodd.com/eating/monkeyplatter

-=- Plus we are trying our hardest to being loving, supportive parents. I enjoy hearing other peoples experiences and had hoped I would find someone who went through the same thing and I guess unrealistically hoped someone would say this will all straighten out soon.-=-

If you just want people to say what you imagine they will say, this list might not end up being your favorite. If you really do want to discuss unschooling, though, I don't think you'll find a better list.

Sandra

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Robin Bentley

> I'm sorry you are making fun of me because my child is eating a cup
> of flour with a spoon. Yes she wants to eat flour in a cup with a
> spoon. Yes, she wants to eat ketchup in a cup with a spoon.

All Sandra is asking for is clarification. I made some assumptions
about what you'd written when I responded, and I could have been
wrong. The list owner is entitled to ask for clear writing.

> I'm just trying my best and my child happens to be extreme. She
> always has been. When she was three she decided to wear nothing but
> princess dresses with hats and feathers in the hat.

Whoa! What's extreme about that?

> And maybe I didn't need to post this because I know who she is and
> that she is and always had been extreme.

I hope unschooling will help you to see your daughter as just who she
is. Not "extreme." It's better for your relationship to see her as
someone who has preferences, just as anyone does.

> But I just thought I'd get encouragement not criticism.

Did you read this before you posted?

http://sandradodd.com/lists/alwayslearningNEW

Sometimes it's hard to see what others see in your words. But that's
all we have to go by. You'll get advice and questions and good hard
looks at what you're doing on this list. It's why long term members
(some of whom have written to answer your questions) remain here. Best
teasing out of motives and thoughts and misconceptions you'll find
anywhere!

> I'm sure we'll make a success of life because I believe this will
> give her the confidence and security she needs. Plus we are trying
> our hardest to being loving, supportive parents. I enjoy hearing
> other peoples experiences and had hoped I would find someone who
> went through the same thing and I guess unrealistically hoped
> someone would say this will all straighten out soon.

But if you don't seek to understand what's happening with your kids or
why you are doing what you're doing or see what you could do
differently, a "there, there, it will be alright" response won't be of
use to you anyway.

Robin B.

Sandra Dodd

-=-But if you don't seek to understand what's happening with your kids or
why you are doing what you're doing or see what you could do
differently, a "there, there, it will be alright" response won't be of
use to you anyway.-=-

"There there" never helps anyone whether they want to understand or not, it seems to me.
I mean it might help for about five minutes, but "there there" never clarifies thought or action.

This is what "there there" looks like, and all of these are real quotes:

http://sandradodd.com/support

Sandra

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Schuyler

Linnaea likes flour with sugar in it sometimes. More when she was younger. She
always preferred dough to flour and sugar. And I make a lot of dough based
things so I would just add in a fair amount extra so that she could have as many
handfuls as she liked. She still likes it but I don't need to add in nearly as
much as I used to. I assume there is a point in development where starches and
sugars, easy to digest things, are fairly important. I always liked the apples
my mom would cut up and mix with flour and sugar for apple pie. Much more than I
liked the finished pie. Simon and Linnaea preferred the pie pre-done as well.

Schuyler



________________________________


Why (and how!?) would a child eat flour?

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

livwithroz

Thank you for your response and I apologize for being too easily offended. I read your links and appreciate them.
When I said my child is extreme it's because she has huge emotions and responses to things. I never met any other child who would only wear frilly, Disney, itchy dresses even to bed for a solid year, then one day very suddenly swings in the opposite direction to wanting only jeans and t-shirts. Her emotions are very much that way too. Very angry to very lovey in an instant. Sometimes I'm exhausted! Hope no one is offended by these comments. I'm a little uncertain about my words.
Last night as I was writing my response Liv, my daughter, asked what I was doing. I said *Remember when we decided not to do phonics and math u see anymore? And how you could eat more of the things you like?* She smiled big and jumped in my lap to show her glee! *Well, I'm writing to people who also have done that and have had experiences that might help me* So, that was enough to allow me to finish. Then when I was tucking her into bed she said *About that eating thing... I think I would like to eat your chicken soup at the end of each day*!
Earlier in the day she came up to me and said, *I know that when I ask you for maple syrup you are going to have a hard feeling and that makes me sad* I simply said * I'm sorry that makes you sad. Thank you for telling me how you feel* And she leaped into my arms and gave me a bear hug.



--- In [email protected], Sandra Dodd <Sandra@...> wrote:
>
> -=-I'm sorry you are making fun of me because my child is eating a cup of flour with a spoon. Yes she wants to eat flour in a cup with a spoon. Yes, she wants to eat ketchup in a cup with a spoon. I was hoping to get encouragement and I have gotten
> some.-=-
>
> I wasn't making fun of you, I was asking for clarification.
>
> -=-I'm just trying my best and my child happens to be extreme. She always has been. When she was three she decided to wear nothing but princess dresses with hats and feathers in the hat. Night and day and we let her.-=-
>
> I don't see why princess dresses would be "extreme." It might be better not to label her "extreme."
>
> Other things mentioned were not changing too quickly, and monkey platters.
>
> Here are links on those ideas:
> http://sandradodd.com/gradualchange
> http://sandradodd.com/eating/monkeyplatter
>
> -=- Plus we are trying our hardest to being loving, supportive parents. I enjoy hearing other peoples experiences and had hoped I would find someone who went through the same thing and I guess unrealistically hoped someone would say this will all straighten out soon.-=-
>
> If you just want people to say what you imagine they will say, this list might not end up being your favorite. If you really do want to discuss unschooling, though, I don't think you'll find a better list.
>
> Sandra
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>

Maribel

My daughter helped me bake a cake yesterday, and asked if she could try some of the four. It surprised me, but didn't shock me - only because of this discussion : )

Prior to these readings I would have thought "isn't that bad for you?"

Maribel Sindlinger

On Dec 3, 2010, at 4:17 AM, Schuyler <s.waynforth@...> wrote:

> Linnaea likes flour with sugar in it sometimes. More when she was younger. She
> always preferred dough to flour and sugar. And I make a lot of dough based
> things so I would just add in a fair amount extra so that she could have as many
> handfuls as she liked. She still likes it but I don't need to add in nearly as
> much as I used to. I assume there is a point in development where starches and
> sugars, easy to digest things, are fairly important. I always liked the apples
> my mom would cut up and mix with flour and sugar for apple pie. Much more than I
> liked the finished pie. Simon and Linnaea preferred the pie pre-done as well.
>
> Schuyler
>
> ________________________________
>
> Why (and how!?) would a child eat flour?
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

sheeboo2

---When I said my child is extreme it's because she has huge emotions and responses to things. I never met any other child who would only wear frilly, Disney, itchy dresses even to bed for a solid year, then one day very suddenly swings in the opposite direction to wanting only jeans and t-shirts.------

My daughter wore either a dog or cat costume for well over a year, even to bed. After the suits became too small, even with the addition of gussets, and she wasn't pleased with the newer, larger sized ones we found, she graduated to wearing a tail that hung on a piece of elastic around her waist.

That was a few years ago. Now, she's evolved into a dragon/dinosaur and hasn't cut her thumb nails (sickle claws) for months.

It may seem "extreme" to some, especially people who are used to controlling their children's bodies, but I think many, many children live in very alternate realities at times!

--Her emotions are very much that way too. Very angry to very lovely in an instant.----

When you posit "lovely" against "angry" it appears that you're judging and privileging one emotion ("lovely," which I'm only guessing means "cooperative/sweet/compliant") against another ("Anger"). What does "anger"/"lovely" look like? No need to answer here, but probably worth thinking about.

Does she know you find her lovely when she isn't angry? How do you think that makes her feel about her strong emotions?

---Hope no one is offended by these comments. I'm a little uncertain about my words.---

I'd suggest not worrying about offending people on the list, but focusing instead on the words you use to describe your daughter--for her sake--not ours.

It *is* hard to focus on the language we use. It takes time and thought. So does unschooling. For me, one of the hardest, yet most beneficial bits of advice I've received on this list and Always Unschooled, is to look deeply at the language I use. Language, after all, creates reality.

-----Earlier in the day she came up to me and said, *I know that when I ask you for maple syrup you are going to have a hard feeling and that makes me sad* I simply said * I'm sorry that makes you sad. Thank you for telling me how you feel* ------

But what about the maple syrup?

--------------------------------

My daughter liked to eat small bites of raw flour for a time too. I think it was a texture thing as she mostly enjoyed just playing with a big bowl of it. If Liv is wanting to eat A LOT of raw flour, you may want to experiment with giving her bowls of nut flours or oats pulsed into a fine powder in a food processor.

Brie

sheeboo2

I hit send too early---

Another way to expand on ketchup: you could experiment with making other kinds of purees (think homemade baby food--or buy some baby food at the store). I imagine you could make a beautiful layout of colorful ketchup-textured foods.

B

Ginger

That was a typo, I meant lovey! Snuggly. No we talk about anger as an emotion that we were created with, that it's part of us. We try working through those periods and when I model self control things go well!

Sent from my iPhone

On Dec 3, 2010, at 8:44 AM, "sheeboo2" <naturewalkersinfo@...> wrote:

> ---When I said my child is extreme it's because she has huge emotions and responses to things. I never met any other child who would only wear frilly, Disney, itchy dresses even to bed for a solid year, then one day very suddenly swings in the opposite direction to wanting only jeans and t-shirts.------
>
> My daughter wore either a dog or cat costume for well over a year, even to bed. After the suits became too small, even with the addition of gussets, and she wasn't pleased with the newer, larger sized ones we found, she graduated to wearing a tail that hung on a piece of elastic around her waist.
>
> That was a few years ago. Now, she's evolved into a dragon/dinosaur and hasn't cut her thumb nails (sickle claws) for months.
>
> It may seem "extreme" to some, especially people who are used to controlling their children's bodies, but I think many, many children live in very alternate realities at times!
>
> --Her emotions are very much that way too. Very angry to very lovely in an instant.----
>
> When you posit "lovely" against "angry" it appears that you're judging and privileging one emotion ("lovely," which I'm only guessing means "cooperative/sweet/compliant") against another ("Anger"). What does "anger"/"lovely" look like? No need to answer here, but probably worth thinking about.
>
> Does she know you find her lovely when she isn't angry? How do you think that makes her feel about her strong emotions?
>
> ---Hope no one is offended by these comments. I'm a little uncertain about my words.---
>
> I'd suggest not worrying about offending people on the list, but focusing instead on the words you use to describe your daughter--for her sake--not ours.
>
> It *is* hard to focus on the language we use. It takes time and thought. So does unschooling. For me, one of the hardest, yet most beneficial bits of advice I've received on this list and Always Unschooled, is to look deeply at the language I use. Language, after all, creates reality.
>
> -----Earlier in the day she came up to me and said, *I know that when I ask you for maple syrup you are going to have a hard feeling and that makes me sad* I simply said * I'm sorry that makes you sad. Thank you for telling me how you feel* ------
>
> But what about the maple syrup?
>
> --------------------------------
>
> My daughter liked to eat small bites of raw flour for a time too. I think it was a texture thing as she mostly enjoyed just playing with a big bowl of it. If Liv is wanting to eat A LOT of raw flour, you may want to experiment with giving her bowls of nut flours or oats pulsed into a fine powder in a food processor.
>
> Brie
>
>


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

sheeboo2

--daughter helped me bake a cake yesterday, and asked if she could try some of the four. It surprised me, but didn't shock me - only because of this discussion : )

Prior to these readings I would have thought "isn't that bad for you?"-----

I think it is more that dough, with raw eggs, can be dangerous. If you're using fresh eggs, from your own chickens, probably not as much to worry about.

We used to make edible peanut butter playdough (no eggs)...that was fun! Here are a few recipes:

http://www.makingfriends.com/pro_edible.htm

Brie

Sandra Dodd

-=-My daughter helped me bake a cake yesterday, and asked if she could try some of the four. It surprised me, but didn't shock me - only because of this discussion : )-=-

Tasting flour doesn't strike me as "eating flour."
"Eat" sounds to me like making a meal of it, and wanting some more another time.

If flour is the best choice a child can think of, I figured there must need to be some more alluring foods available that smell good and look good. I worried whether maybe the mom had left a child to her own devices, in response to the child not liking the mom's health food (or whatever).

I *always* wanted some of the cutaway parts of biscuits, at my granny's house--while she cut the circles with a metal can, they left bits between. She couldn't understand why I liked that, but I did. And still, sometimes, if I'm using canned biscuits or rolls, I taste a bit and think of my granny. But I didn't "eat raw biscuits."

When my mom cut up potatoes, I always asked for a taste or two of it raw. But I didn't "eat raw potatoes."

Sandra

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Sandra Dodd

-=-My daughter wore either a dog or cat costume for well over a year, even to bed. -=-

Marty wore a tiger suit--not the head, just the zip-up one-piece body from someone's tiger suit. We found it at a thrift store, and he wore it for about a year, summer and winter.

Sandra

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Sandra Dodd

I like this idea a lot:

-=-My daughter liked to eat small bites of raw flour for a time too. I think it was a texture thing as she mostly enjoyed just playing with a big bowl of it. If Liv is wanting to eat A LOT of raw flour, you may want to experiment with giving her bowls of nut flours or oats pulsed into a fine powder in a food processor.-=-

Almonds ground in a food processor might make a fun dip for something like carrot sticks.
Sometimes when I make pie crusts I use ground almonds for about 1/3 of the flour, and they're oily so I use less shortning.

-=-Another way to expand on ketchup: you could experiment with making other kinds of purees (think homemade baby food--or buy some baby food at the store). I imagine you could make a beautiful layout of colorful ketchup-textured foods.-=-

Strained bananas! :-)

Ketchup mixed with other things could be fun.
Ketchup and brown sugar is halfway to barbecue sauce.
Ketchup and mayonnaise would be a good dip or sandwich spread.
Ketchup and ground almonds might be good with a corn dog. (Costco's corn dogs are organic chicken.)

Sandra




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Sandra Dodd

-=-we talk about anger as an emotion that we were created with, that it's part of us. We try working through those periods and when I model self control things go well!-=-

Please think about self control and self regulation, as concepts. Making choices might be a better way to go, with anger. People get angry, but then they don't need to think about "controlling" it so much as deciding what to do when anger comes--other ways to think about it, and personal tools, tricks or plans of action (depending on the situation).

http://sandradodd.com/control
http://sandradodd.com/self-regulation

Sandra

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Lisa E Biesemeyer

"I'm sorry you are making fun of me because my child is eating a cup of flour
with a spoon. "

I think Sandra was asking for clarification. Wanting to eat flour could mean
that she only wants foods made with flour, but it could also mean as you
clarified that she actually eats flour. That probably seems confusing to some.

"I'm just trying my best and my child happens to be extreme. She always has
been. When she was three she decided to wear nothing but princess dresses with
hats and feathers in the hat. Night and day and we let her. Then exactly one
year later she declared she didn't want to wear dresses, but at that time I had
no jeans!!"

My Rowan, 4.5yo, is a lot like this as well, but I used to be/can be also, so I
work very hard to have compassion for how challenging it is to be her at times
(to want/need to wear a particular piece of clothing *so* badly that if not
found *immediately* it sends her into an angry, disappointed rage of sorts) as
well as understand her and how to be with, live with, work with her, etc.

As far as food is concerned, I am not going to answer your query directly
because Rowan does not eat what most people would consider to be a "balanced"
diet. She LOVES sugar, and will ask specifically for something "sugary" or
"sweet" throughout the day. But "sweet" has a range, so we keep lots of fruit
available, organic yogurt, high quality dark chocolate, etc. We also
consistently offer/put out other faves like pastas, pizza, hot dogs, hummus and
crackers, cheese and crackers, etc. (all which taste a little sweet). Some times
she eats nothing but the "sweet" foods, some times a little sweet and a little
of the other foods, and some times a lot of a range. I used to be concerned, and
some days I feel like she is not consuming enough protein or "colors", but then
she usually makes up for it another day by eating 3 chicken hot dogs, a plate of
cheese, and a turkey sandwich.


Also, I struggled with food and my body image growing up, so before her birth, I
made a promise to myself and to Rowan that I would not make food a big deal (not
push for her to eat what she doesn't want to or doesn't like; not push for meals
to be at a specific time of day; not push for eating all that you are
given/take, etc.). I believe that this has given room for food to be whatever it
is for Rowan rather than what I or her dad think it should be for her (note: dad
is still really struggling with this, esp. because he works in restaurants with
food and hospitality and loves it).


So, I would say, trust your daughter that she will eat more than flour at some
point, and likely soon. In the mean time, you could offer her foods that are
simple and simple to eat (flour is rather tasteless without other ingredients,
so maybe she's seeking simplicity). Maybe you could ask if she'd like pasta
since it is basically flour and water. You could make a game of it with her- how
many foods contain flour, from most basic to more complex. When I turn things
positive and fun rather than getting caught up in how difficult I think my
daughter is being, it is so much more interesting, fun, relaxed, and Rowan tends
to desire and be open to more connection then too (as long as she doesn't feel
like I am being condescending or making fun of her-- this is key for us).

Hang in there. And, more importantly, keep doing all the things that you love
where food is concerned.


Lisa B

Lisa Biesemeyer




________________________________

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

BRIAN POLIKOWSKY

 I still eat the cake batter and not the baked cake!!

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Sandra Dodd

-=-Maybe you could ask if she'd like pasta
since it is basically flour and water. You could make a game of it with her- how
many foods contain flour, from most basic to more complex. When I turn things
positive and fun rather than getting caught up in how difficult I think my
daughter is being, it is so much more interesting, fun, relaxed, and Rowan tends
to desire and be open to more connection then too-=-

Ramen or egg noodles, maybe?

Holly often made ramen without using the flavor packet, but only put salt and butter on strained noodles.

Both of us like buttered, salted egg noodles.
Rice, too, with nothing but salt and butter is one of my favorite comfort foods.

Sandra

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Cara Barlow

<<<I never met any other child who would only wear frilly, Disney, itchy
dresses even to bed for a solid year, >>>

Maybe to put this in perspective -

My oldest daughter, for more than a year, wore the same dress every day. It
was pink and white check with a poof skirt and crinolines. I think she was 4
or 5 years old. She wore cat ears with the dress, and insisted that everyone
call her Miss Kitty. Sometimes she wore a tail too.

I bought two more of the dresses (they were from JC Penney's) so that we
weren't dependent on just that one. I have a picture of her dancing in the
backyard in the dress and ears. That outfit made her really happy.

She's now almost 15 year old. I saved one of her dresses and love looking at
it when I'm getting things out of our old-clothes-and-costumes closet.

My second daughter (now 12 years old) did the same thing with a Minnie Mouse
dress. I found a couple more of the dresses on ebay so that she could wear
them all the time. She had a stuffed puppy dog that she carried with her,
usually in a small basket - it was part of the outfit. I saved one of her
Minnie Mouse dresses, and it's also in the closet.

Those are some of my favorite memories.

Best wishes, Cara B


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Pam Sorooshian

On 12/3/2010 8:42 AM, Cara Barlow wrote:
> <<<I never met any other child who would only wear frilly, Disney, itchy
> dresses even to bed for a solid year, >>>

I think it is not at all unusual for kids to want to do this kind of
thing. Most kids can't actually do it because their parents won't let
them. All three of my girls went through time periods of wearing certain
costumes nonstop - nearly 24 hours per day, week after week. I also
have a sister who is 7 years younger than I am and I remember that
before she was school-age she had certain clothes she wanted to wear all
the time AND she didn't want them washed. HER daughter (my niece) didn't
wear clothing at all, in the house, for a few years. She'd shed her
clothing at the front door when she came inside and put it on when she
went outside.

-pam

Chaley Scott

My son wore nothing but superhero costumes for two years - it was adorable!  My two year old is going through a naked stage and doesn't ever want to wear clothes, which when we are home is fine but when we goes out she has been known to strip in the park - needless to say we get some funny looks!

Chaley-Ann Scott
Author
THE UNCHAINED CHILD; Free Your Child, Free Yourself
LABEL LOVE; Why the Establishment Wants to Label our Children and How to Fight Back.


www.theunchainedchild.com

--- On Fri, 3/12/10, Pam Sorooshian <pamsoroosh@...> wrote:


From: Pam Sorooshian <pamsoroosh@...>
Subject: Re: [AlwaysLearning] Re: Has anyone had this experience?
To: [email protected]
Received: Friday, 3 December, 2010, 5:22 PM


 



On 12/3/2010 8:42 AM, Cara Barlow wrote:
> <<<I never met any other child who would only wear frilly, Disney, itchy
> dresses even to bed for a solid year, >>>

I think it is not at all unusual for kids to want to do this kind of
thing. Most kids can't actually do it because their parents won't let
them. All three of my girls went through time periods of wearing certain
costumes nonstop - nearly 24 hours per day, week after week. I also
have a sister who is 7 years younger than I am and I remember that
before she was school-age she had certain clothes she wanted to wear all
the time AND she didn't want them washed. HER daughter (my niece) didn't
wear clothing at all, in the house, for a few years. She'd shed her
clothing at the front door when she came inside and put it on when she
went outside.

-pam











[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Chaley Scott

I also forgot that Molly pretended to be a cat for a whole year when she was about three.  She had a cat costume and used to miaow and lick her hands, crawl around the floor and get us to ''pet'' her.  Can't believe I forgot about it because it seemed to go on forever.  She's ten now and we were just talking about and having a good laugh - so thanks for jogging that very funny memory!


Chaley-Ann Scott
Author
THE UNCHAINED CHILD; Free Your Child, Free Yourself
LABEL LOVE; Why the Establishment Wants to Label our Children and How to Fight Back.


www.theunchainedchild.com

--- On Fri, 3/12/10, Cara Barlow <carabarlow@...> wrote:


From: Cara Barlow <carabarlow@...>
Subject: Re: [AlwaysLearning] Re: Has anyone had this experience?
To: [email protected]
Received: Friday, 3 December, 2010, 4:42 PM


 



<<<I never met any other child who would only wear frilly, Disney, itchy
dresses even to bed for a solid year, >>>

Maybe to put this in perspective -

My oldest daughter, for more than a year, wore the same dress every day. It
was pink and white check with a poof skirt and crinolines. I think she was 4
or 5 years old. She wore cat ears with the dress, and insisted that everyone
call her Miss Kitty. Sometimes she wore a tail too.

I bought two more of the dresses (they were from JC Penney's) so that we
weren't dependent on just that one. I have a picture of her dancing in the
backyard in the dress and ears. That outfit made her really happy.

She's now almost 15 year old. I saved one of her dresses and love looking at
it when I'm getting things out of our old-clothes-and-costumes closet.

My second daughter (now 12 years old) did the same thing with a Minnie Mouse
dress. I found a couple more of the dresses on ebay so that she could wear
them all the time. She had a stuffed puppy dog that she carried with her,
usually in a small basket - it was part of the outfit. I saved one of her
Minnie Mouse dresses, and it's also in the closet.

Those are some of my favorite memories.

Best wishes, Cara B

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]











[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

k

I wore a dress from the 1950s that belonged to my mom when she was a girl
the summer I turned 10... all summer long. I wore the thing night and day.
It really isn't unusual. A friend who has moved to New York state now has a
daughter who was 8 when she lived here in SC. That child never wore anything
but playclothes, different ones changed out all the time. Karl wears
playclothes to bed sometimes and has times when he wears them during the day
for a while. It's really cute when he's asleep and I untie his cape
(blanket) from his neck to keep him breathing freely.

~Katherine




On Fri, Dec 3, 2010 at 12:22 PM, Pam Sorooshian <pamsoroosh@...>wrote:

> On 12/3/2010 8:42 AM, Cara Barlow wrote:
> > <<<I never met any other child who would only wear frilly, Disney, itchy
> > dresses even to bed for a solid year, >>>
>
> I think it is not at all unusual for kids to want to do this kind of
> thing. Most kids can't actually do it because their parents won't let
> them. All three of my girls went through time periods of wearing certain
> costumes nonstop - nearly 24 hours per day, week after week. I also
> have a sister who is 7 years younger than I am and I remember that
> before she was school-age she had certain clothes she wanted to wear all
> the time AND she didn't want them washed. HER daughter (my niece) didn't
> wear clothing at all, in the house, for a few years. She'd shed her
> clothing at the front door when she came inside and put it on when she
> went outside.
>
> -pam
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Sarah

You can get other sorts of ketchup too, in health stores in the UK sometimes... I've seen mushroom and sweetcorn...


--- In [email protected], Sandra Dodd <Sandra@...>I imagine you could make a beautiful layout of colorful ketchup-textured foods.-=-
>
> Strained bananas! :-)
>
> Ketchup mixed with other things could be fun.
> Ketchup and brown sugar is halfway to barbecue sauce.
> Ketchup and mayonnaise would be a good dip or sandwich spread.
> Ketchup and ground almonds might be good with a corn dog. (Costco's corn dogs are organic chicken.)
>
> Sandra
>
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>