Apple Sauce Wars

Tonight, Elise made Pete's first official batch of solid food, apple sauce, and signed Sam up to try it.

Now, this isn't that big of a leap. Sam's been eating apple sauce in some form or another for years now. Set the scene: his dinner consisted of noodles, apple sauce and turkey. Of course, he devoured the noodles first which was quickly followed by, "More noo...more noo."

"Eat your apple sauce and you can have more noodles."

No. Sam was not going to eat his apple sauce. Okay, you just have to lick. All you have to do is put your finger in it and lick it. Like this...No? Okay then no milk, no noodles, no cookies, no walk, no ice cream until you try your apple sauce. You don't have to eat it. All you have to do it try it. Okay, Sam right now. One...two...three... Get back in your chair. Turn around. Sit down. No, no more noodles.

After ten minutes or so, I decided to exert what little paternal authority I hold. I flexed my "I am Dad and you will do I what I say" muscles. I usually choose my battles wisely. I chose this one. Sam, you will try your apple sauce now or go to your room.

"No."

So, he went to his room, and I closed the door, and he cried and wailed behind the closed door for the better part of five excrutiating minutes. When I freed him of his confinement, I placed him back into his chair and began anew. I picked up the spoon with a miniscule dab of apple sauce on the tip and repeated my entreaty which prompted flailing arms. One of his fingers accidently flailed into the apple sauce and then accidently flailed right into his mouth...

"Yummy!"

ARE YOU SERIOUS?!?!?!

Elise thought her head was going to split open. I couldn't stop laughing. Sam snarfed the rest of the apple sauce. Pete, who was sitting in Elise's lap, laughed along with my laughing. Sam said, Pete happy," and kept shovelling apple sauce into his mouth.

We tried explaining to him that the antics of the previous twenty minutes could have eaily been avoided if he had just tried the apple sauce in the first place. It wasn't like we were trying to get him to eat eggplant or poop or something. We told him to trust us every once in awhile. Sometimes, as parents, we just might be onto something.

But did we really care? He was eating his apple sauce and that's all that really mattered.