Parenting is supposed to provide unconditional love: you for your children and from your children to you. And it does.

That’s a parenting truth.

Here’s another parenting truth: your kids won’t like you all the time.

They go through stages where they prefer daddy over mummy, and sometimes, mummy over daddy.

Then they hit puberty and don’t like either of you.

I can see you nodding, Can I get an Amen?

What people don’t talk about is how sometimes you, wonderful parent that you are, don’t like your kids.

So I’ll fess up here and tell you my truth:

Sometimes I don’t like my kids

In fact this last week I have seriously disliked my kids.

1. Is it because they don’t listen at bedtime and are messing about the whole time?
2. Is it because they are testing the limits on food requests? Taking advantage of their eating issues to just pick their favourite food?
3. Is it because I haven’t had enough me time to recharge my batteries?

Yes. Yes to all of them. But mostly it’s No.2

F does have quite major issues with food and it’s still really hard to have food available for her that she will actually eat. I’ve written about it many times and our patience and encouragement is working and she is eating more and more. Did I mention that she ate roasted butternut squash? Voluntarily. And she keeps asking for it. Isn’t that fantastic?

Yes!

Except for when it isn’t. Except for when she can’t face it anymore.

You see, with her condition, her electrolytes can go all over the place, she ends up feeling nauseous and then it becomes hard for her to eat. Her appetite disappears. Food smells and tastes funny to her.

So you never know when she is going to stop eating. Because of her condition.

And then she’s a kid. All kids do their utmost to create the most perfect life for themselves (go kids!).

• They want to wear their favourite clothes all the time.
• They only want to eat their favourite food.
• They want to watch their favourite tv programs.

So, is the sudden difficulty with eating a result of her condition or has she decided she doesn’t fancy it anymore?

Well, I don’t know either. But my gut tells me that she has been playing me lately. Playing me. And I don’t like it.

I got frustrated. It showed. So I told her my suspicion. I asked her outright:

Are you only eating things that you absolutely love and fancy eating?

Yes, she replied.

Mo’fo’!

I’m going nuts trying to feed her. And S? She doesn’t have these issues but she’s a smart girl. She sees the pattern and copies it, uses it to her advantage.

So we had a talk about it. We have called a truce.

But here’s another truth:

The dislike is temporary. The love is permanent.

p.s. her growth has stagnated and her neph says she needs to gain weight. Hmm, I wonder how much this has got to do with my tension? Probably more than it should.

 

This story was also published on Youshare so follow the link and like it there please.