Re: [Unschooling-dotcom] sweets
carolyn
Well, I'm not rich but....
My dd was going through a real craving for sugar in any form. One day,
she asked if she could go outside to play. I said, "Not until you have
eaten six (small) cookies." The mixture of emotions on her face was
priceless, she didn't know whether to laugh (she did) or be angry (she
was). Now, normally, she would have eaten half the bag if allowed but
being "forced" to eat them was an entirely different matter.
She tried to negotiate for fewer cookies but I held tight to six. "You
can eat more than six, but not less." She asserted, "I'm not going to
eat MORE than six cookies," as though I was trying to kill her.
She ate all six but wasn't happy about it. And later wanted nothing to
do with the rest of the bag. A couple of times I heard her telling a
friend I had tortured her by making her eat those cookies. Nobody
understood why that was torture. But I did. Now she makes all her food
choices and dessert doesn't have the same power.
I knew I had to give up control over food when I saw her having a little
tea with her honey and sneaking food into her room. Giving up control
over what she eats, however, has been the easiest thing. It was never
about the food, it was the control she craved. Okay, she still eats too
much sugar but it's less now than it was before and it doesn't seem as
obsessive. She actually says, "No" sometimes to sweet things, declines
desserts and orders water instead of soda. Go figure.
Carolyn
"Pat Cald..." wrote:
My dd was going through a real craving for sugar in any form. One day,
she asked if she could go outside to play. I said, "Not until you have
eaten six (small) cookies." The mixture of emotions on her face was
priceless, she didn't know whether to laugh (she did) or be angry (she
was). Now, normally, she would have eaten half the bag if allowed but
being "forced" to eat them was an entirely different matter.
She tried to negotiate for fewer cookies but I held tight to six. "You
can eat more than six, but not less." She asserted, "I'm not going to
eat MORE than six cookies," as though I was trying to kill her.
She ate all six but wasn't happy about it. And later wanted nothing to
do with the rest of the bag. A couple of times I heard her telling a
friend I had tortured her by making her eat those cookies. Nobody
understood why that was torture. But I did. Now she makes all her food
choices and dessert doesn't have the same power.
I knew I had to give up control over food when I saw her having a little
tea with her honey and sneaking food into her room. Giving up control
over what she eats, however, has been the easiest thing. It was never
about the food, it was the control she craved. Okay, she still eats too
much sugar but it's less now than it was before and it doesn't seem as
obsessive. She actually says, "No" sometimes to sweet things, declines
desserts and orders water instead of soda. Go figure.
Carolyn
"Pat Cald..." wrote:
> Well Sarah, if we could figure out a way to make desserts a
> non-attraction we would be millionaires! LOL Thanks for the thought
> provoking discussion.
>
> Pat
>
Alan Moorehead
Hi Carolyn,
I've experienced the same thing with my son, Leroy who is a Juvenile
Diabetic. I am constantly having to count the number of carbohydrates
he ingests to keep his diabetes under very tight control. There are
many times when he just hasn't had enough carbos for lunch or dinner and
I have to insist he eats a piece of fruit, cookie, or candy. Sometimes
he'll complain bitterly, but he knows he has to do it or he may go low
and have a seizure. His twin, Paul, is not a diabetic. I don't control
what or how much he eats whatsoever. It often seems so unfair to Leroy
that I constantly have to keep an eye out on what he eats, the amounts
he eats and at what time he eats. It really is very stressful. But,
it is done to maintain his physical well-being and to avoid
complications in the future.
Mimi
I've experienced the same thing with my son, Leroy who is a Juvenile
Diabetic. I am constantly having to count the number of carbohydrates
he ingests to keep his diabetes under very tight control. There are
many times when he just hasn't had enough carbos for lunch or dinner and
I have to insist he eats a piece of fruit, cookie, or candy. Sometimes
he'll complain bitterly, but he knows he has to do it or he may go low
and have a seizure. His twin, Paul, is not a diabetic. I don't control
what or how much he eats whatsoever. It often seems so unfair to Leroy
that I constantly have to keep an eye out on what he eats, the amounts
he eats and at what time he eats. It really is very stressful. But,
it is done to maintain his physical well-being and to avoid
complications in the future.
Mimi
On Monday, December 31, 2001, at 02:14 PM, carolyn wrote:
> Well, I'm not rich but....
>
> My dd was going through a real craving for sugar in any form. One day,
> she asked if she could go outside to play. I said, "Not until you have
> eaten six (small) cookies." The mixture of emotions on her face was
> priceless, she didn't know whether to laugh (she did) or be angry (she
> was). Now, normally, she would have eaten half the bag if allowed but
> being "forced" to eat them was an entirely different matter.
>
> She tried to negotiate for fewer cookies but I held tight to six. "You
> can eat more than six, but not less." She asserted, "I'm not going to
> eat MORE than six cookies," as though I was trying to kill her.
>
> She ate all six but wasn't happy about it. And later wanted nothing to
> do with the rest of the bag. A couple of times I heard her telling a
> friend I had tortured her by making her eat those cookies. Nobody
> understood why that was torture. But I did. Now she makes all her food
> choices and dessert doesn't have the same power.
>
> I knew I had to give up control over food when I saw her having a little
> tea with her honey and sneaking food into her room. Giving up control
> over what she eats, however, has been the easiest thing. It was never
> about the food, it was the control she craved. Okay, she still eats too
> much sugar but it's less now than it was before and it doesn't seem as
> obsessive. She actually says, "No" sometimes to sweet things, declines
> desserts and orders water instead of soda. Go figure.
>
> Carolyn
>
>
> "Pat Cald..." wrote:
>
>> Well Sarah, if we could figure out a way to make desserts a
>> non-attraction we would be millionaires! LOL Thanks for the thought
>> provoking discussion.
>>
>> Pat
>>
>
>
>
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