I have cut off my son from food. He is almost 5 and always hungry. This morning he has had a banana, a jar of yogurt (I make my own), and a breakfast burrito. When I handed him the breakfast burrito he stood up, jumped on the bench for our table he always gets in trouble for doing, and YELLS at me "that's not enough! I need more in it and milk too!" with an angry look on his face.
Umm... no way are you speaking to me like that. No milk and no more food until lunch! I NEVER get a "thank you" when I give him food anymore. It's always "I need something to go with this!" or "I need this too." or "but that's not enough!" Sometimes he will eat one of the things I give him then tell me he "needs something to go with this."
Yeah, normally I just take his plate away for 5 minutes but today I'm cutting him off!
So now he is moping on the floor while my 2 year old happily drinks her milk and eats her eggs.
Oh the joys of being a mom.
*update* It worked! He no longer yells at me for more food. He's back to asking nicely and saying "thank you" when I give him some. And it's not about him thanking me because it's some privelege he is getting food. Of course it's our job to feed him! However, in our family we thank others for doing their part. If hubby gets me a glass of water I will thank him and if ds cleans his room quickly I will thank him. Hubby often thanks me for making dinner even though I'm a SAHM and he spends all day at work. It's just the way our family is. He went from saying "thank you" every time I handed him food to screaming "that's not enough!" and that was the issue, the screaming.
I'm always amused at folks who think that foods, dyes, additives, etc. can't or don't cause behavioral issues.
Yet those same folks probably drink a cup of coffee in the morning to get themselves going, or enjoy a candy bar for a fast pick-me-up.
People understand that sugary or starchy foods will affect the behavior and mental status of a diabetic but REFUSE to believe that those same foods affect the behavior or everyone else in the population. :o)
For those of you who doubt that foods affect behaviors ask yourselves this: If you eat a donut and drink a coke for breakfast how well do you concentrate later that morning? Are you edgy, grumpy, short tempered? Are you hungry and thinking about lunch? Does that distract you from your work?
If you eat a bagel with an egg, yogurt, and drink a glass of OJ how do you feel? Are you edgy, grumpy, short tempered? Do you find yourself unable to concentrate and constantly thinking about lunch? Does that distract you from work?
The short answer is-----sugary, processed breakfast causes inattention, grumpiness and very often a feeling of being shaky. The breakfast with protein and complex carbs gives you a feeling of fullness, brain power and long lasting energy.
There is a reason that school systems provide free lunches (and breakfast too!) to those children who cannot afford food---it's commonly known that kids can't concentrate when not fed well.
The gut-brain connection is well established. Doubters make me laugh.
Quoting AM-BRAT:
Well what you think is what you think.
Anything in food can affect anyone.
It's very dear to me, the issue of gay marriage. Or, as I like to call it: 'marriage'. You know, because I had lunch this afternoon, not gay lunch. I parked my car, I didn't gay park it."
~Liz Feldman~
I think I love you.
Quoting momof6nokc:
I'm always amused at folks who think that foods, dyes, additives, etc. can't or don't cause behavioral issues.
Yet those same folks probably drink a cup of coffee in the morning to get themselves going, or enjoy a candy bar for a fast pick-me-up.People understand that sugary or starchy foods will affect the behavior and mental status of a diabetic but REFUSE to believe that those same foods affect the behavior or everyone else in the population. :o)
For those of you who doubt that foods affect behaviors ask yourselves this: If you eat a donut and drink a coke for breakfast how well do you concentrate later that morning? Are you edgy, grumpy, short tempered? Are you hungry and thinking about lunch? Does that distract you from your work?
If you eat a bagel with an egg, yogurt, and drink a glass of OJ how do you feel? Are you edgy, grumpy, short tempered? Do you find yourself unable to concentrate and constantly thinking about lunch? Does that distract you from work?
The short answer is-----sugary, processed breakfast causes inattention, grumpiness and very often a feeling of being shaky. The breakfast with protein and complex carbs gives you a feeling of fullness, brain power and long lasting energy.
There is a reason that school systems provide free lunches (and breakfast too!) to those children who cannot afford food---it's commonly known that kids can't concentrate when not fed well.
The gut-brain connection is well established. Doubters make me laugh.
Quoting AM-BRAT:
Well what you think is what you think.
Anything in food can affect anyone.
Quoting bbmkfo03:So glad it worked for you! How many days did it take then? I'm interested b/c I think this is a very common problem for a lot of families and although your technique might be controversial, it worked!
Quoting jediGert:Allergies don't create disciplinary issues. Yes... SOME people are sensitive to chemicals but I find it highly implausible and therefore illogical to blame one's diet for anything other than weight and energy level.
Learn to control your kids and stop blaming food.
Quoting AM-BRAT:
Well what you think is what you think.
Anything in food can affect anyone.
Quoting jediGert:I'm not talking about the discipline, I'm referring to the food making kids cranky argument. I think a very small percentage of children are sensitive to things in their food.
But thank you for completely assuming you are being attacked... again. You need to calm down and stop just deciding everyone is criticizing you. I'm not your mom or whoever it is that's telling you that you are a bad parent.
Quoting JasonsMom2007:
You can say its a cop out all you want but he has been consistantly disciplined since he was tiny. He gets sent to bed early for his behavior quite often.
Quoting jediGert:I think a lot of that stuff is a cop out. Explain to him that he is to say please and thank you for his food. If he does not, no snacks. No deserts. If he really pushes, tell him you talked to a new doctor who said kids who act the way he is do so because they aren't getting enough sleep so he's going to be going to bed an hour early from now on until he can learn to be polite and respectful.
If nothing else, you get an extra hour of mommy time at the end of the day ;)
Quoting JasonsMom2007:I have no clue where these behaviors are from honestly. He has stumped the top developmental pediatrician here and is being referred to UCSF to a neurologist.
He does not eat high fructose corn syrup, annatto, or dyes because they make his behavior unbearable.
Until we find an answer I keep trying to find something that works for him. It's hard though :(
Quoting littleacorn:
Does he have these behavior issues more when he's been eating certain kinds of foods, like dairy or wheat? That almost sounds like behavior stemming from an allergy to something.
I'm not speaking about your specific kid. He is the exception not the norm.
There is a prevailing hypochondriac culture going on with parents and I'm sic of it. They take one example, IE, your kid's sensitivity and decide well THEIR kid is thusly as well so THEIR kid must also have the same problem... when in fact... it's highly likely their kid acts that way because they don't have any boundaries at home or some other much more mundane reason.
Look, there are ALWAYS exceptions and obviously your child is one of them but your child is not by any means average in this nor are they for that matter, common in this problem. It's like being 7 feet tall. Yes, SOME people become 7 feet tall but MOST people do not and standing on tip toe does not make you taller.
Quoting JasonsMom2007:
Well ive had several doctors agree that its a dye sensitivity and he should never have dyes. They go out of their way to find medications without them for him because they said with constant exposure it could get worse.
Quoting jediGert:Allergies don't create disciplinary issues. Yes... SOME people are sensitive to chemicals but I find it highly implausible and therefore illogical to blame one's diet for anything other than weight and energy level.
Learn to control your kids and stop blaming food.
Quoting AM-BRAT:
Well what you think is what you think.
Anything in food can affect anyone.
Quoting jediGert:I'm not talking about the discipline, I'm referring to the food making kids cranky argument. I think a very small percentage of children are sensitive to things in their food.
But thank you for completely assuming you are being attacked... again. You need to calm down and stop just deciding everyone is criticizing you. I'm not your mom or whoever it is that's telling you that you are a bad parent.
Quoting JasonsMom2007:
You can say its a cop out all you want but he has been consistantly disciplined since he was tiny. He gets sent to bed early for his behavior quite often.
Quoting jediGert:I think a lot of that stuff is a cop out. Explain to him that he is to say please and thank you for his food. If he does not, no snacks. No deserts. If he really pushes, tell him you talked to a new doctor who said kids who act the way he is do so because they aren't getting enough sleep so he's going to be going to bed an hour early from now on until he can learn to be polite and respectful.
If nothing else, you get an extra hour of mommy time at the end of the day ;)
Quoting JasonsMom2007:I have no clue where these behaviors are from honestly. He has stumped the top developmental pediatrician here and is being referred to UCSF to a neurologist.
He does not eat high fructose corn syrup, annatto, or dyes because they make his behavior unbearable.
Until we find an answer I keep trying to find something that works for him. It's hard though :(
Quoting littleacorn:
Does he have these behavior issues more when he's been eating certain kinds of foods, like dairy or wheat? That almost sounds like behavior stemming from an allergy to something.
She's cheating on him
- JasonsMom2007
on May. 26, 2012 at 12:59 PM