A little background is in order:
Before Christmas, before we all got sick for the third time in a row, the eldest mermaid was being a pill. Everything was drama, tears, and attitude
One night, Ang was getting ready for an appointment, hurried to make a spinach and ravioli pasta dinner and then hurried off.
No sooner had she walked out the door when I served up the pasta and approached the table with it.
I don’t want that!
Oh Really? Fine
And I took it away. I was angry at the attitude so I lowered myself to her level and asked, in my best 5 year old, what SHE might like to eat?
Cereal.
Ok. But since you aren’t going to eat the food I am serving you that Mommy made, YOU are going to have to make it ALL yourself.
[happily] Okay
Now I was silently cursing my lack of foresight as I realized she is likely capable of pulling it off…she was.
There were 2 servings of krispies on the floor and table, no milk anywhere but the bowl, and a somewhat smug 5 year old in her chair, eating her ‘dinner’. Thinking I once again gained the upper hand I coolly explained,
Just making your own dinner isn’t all you have to do you know?
[meekly] What do I have to do?
You will have to clean up your bowl, wash it and the spoon and the glass and clean the table and the floor ALL by yourself. [ha]
Okay…and [now with some indignation] I’ll clean ALL the dishes. [ha HA]
Done! [ha HA HA!]
Now we enter the moral of the story which is; never think you have the upper hand.
Abby proceeded to finish two bowls of cereal and moved on to tackle the dishes. In spite of never fully mastering the art of the lesson this time she outdid herself with her dedication to finishing the job.
Quality control notwithstanding, she powered through every dish, pot, pan, glass, plate, and fork over the course of the next 90 minutes. Including a pot so big that, when full, it was probably 1/2 her weight.
The kicker? She did it all while happily singing…
It’s a hard knock life…for us.
It’s a hard knock life…for us.
[ha HA HA! HAAA!!]
blief 
I sympathize with the Eldest Mermaid — and with her clueless Father. [Ha! ha!] Anytime the male of the species thinks it has the “upper hand” over the female of the species, is the time when things like what you describe, happen.
You should have had a clue from your Grandpa Z, what with all his “troubles” with the Grand Mother.
My advice? Very carefully think ahead as to what possible (and even somewhat impossible) consequences can result from all possible interpretations of what you are about to say/do.
LikeLike
Hee hee, you will never be able to envision all possible reactions or consequences. Better to tell her she WILL eat THAT and if further challenged use the time tested reason, “Because I said so THAT´S WHY!” GOOD LUCK!
LikeLike
We have the same rule in our house. It came about for no other reason than me being sick of hearing how much they hated what I was serving, so I put it back on them. It’s not a bad thing, it has taught them to be self-sufficient in the kitchen and after forcing one of them to eat something and then seeing that food again in another form all over my table, I do listen to them more when they say they can’t eat what I am serving.
LikeLike