To most people, a cheese sandwich isn’t anything special. No big deal. All kids eat cheese sandwiches, right? And, I mean, it’s not like it’s the most nutritious food in the world anyway, so who cares? To me though, this simple cheese sandwich is a victory. We have struggled for years with food aversions, texture issues, and so many other difficulties in getting my son to try and trust food.
When you’re a brand new mom with your sweet little new bundle of joy, you tell yourself that you’re never going to do xyz and that your kid will never do xyz. For me, one of those naive statements I believed was that I would never allow my children to be “picky eaters” and only eat certain foods. Oh boy, if only I knew back then what I know now… It’s just not always that simple, y’all.
Over time, we’ve learned to offer lots of support and encouragement to our son, offer opportunities to try new foods, and ultimately take his lead. When we made that shift in mindset, mealtimes finally became less of a fight and more of what they were meant to be – just time spent around the dinner table sharing our day. If he was eating his third peanut butter and honey sandwich for the day, so be it.
Convincing myself that he won’t just live off of one type of food forever has been hard. Trying not to be self-conscious about what he does or doesn’t eat in front of others has made me swallow my pride (I mean really, who cares?). But today… today was a victory and it took everything in me not to burst with joy! He actually asked me himself if I would make him a cheese sandwich with mayo after watching an old Mr. Roger’s episode where Mr. Roger’s ate one, too (God bless that man). So, today I celebrate and hold back tears over a cheese sandwich, because sometimes that’s just what motherhood is all about.
