A little more than three years ago, I gave birth to a tiny fragile baby boy. It was a struggle to keep him alive. After a month in the hospital, I brought him home and spent a year measuring food, adjusting oxygen and timing medicine. I ordered his diaper rash ointment from two states away. I read medical abstracts comparing supplemental infant formulas. I prayed a lot. I whole heartedly committed myself to doing whatever it took to keep this precious boy alive and well.
This morning, I let that same kid eat two hot dogs and some popcorn for breakfast. Sadly, I do not have ignorance as an excuse. I know that hot dogs are not food. They were only in the house because my husband had taken my big boy camping and they had leftovers. And yes, I am fully aware of the assorted components in hot dogs. I have no defense. He looked at me and said "Momma, I can have hot doggy" and I said yes. Twice. I threw in the popcorn in hopes of creating sufficient digestive urgency to flush out the hot dogs. What? That's gross? I just fed my kid two hot dogs for the love of pete. This is no time to get squeamish.
Now, my little guy is happily dancing through the living room, flushed with triumph at his nutritional coup. Or having a seizure brought on by an allergy to lips and tails. It's one of those. Quick question, do dances of joy cause foaming at the mouth?
Also, in the interest of full disclosure this kid is wearing a diaper (Do you want to use the potty? No thank you) and a shirt that hasn't fit for a year. He looks like an orphan. We have a tub and clothes that will fit and fresh fruits and nice nutritious oatmeal. I have access to all the tools to be a less sucky mom right this minute.
But he really likes that shirt. Maybe I will just train him and his four year old sister to yell "Mommy is sleeping" through the door when CPS comes to discuss my children's nutrition. The last thing I need is them judging me.
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9 comments:
You are much more condemning of your parenting skills than CPS could ever be.
I like the image of your adorable happy child dancing the Dance of Joy over hotdogs. Very cute.
I agree with Lisa - you fed your child, and he is perfectly happy - CPS has no business messing with that. I have perfect confidence that you will take care of your kids no matter what, and that is the most important thing.
They don't "really" care about kids with big belly's do they?
I really don't understand the problem here. What's wrong with hot dogs for breakfast? Or hamburgers? Or pizza? I don't like breakfast foods--so I'm dancing with baby boy in celebration of the overthrow of traditional breakfast foods. Dance, my boy! Dance!
The problem, apparently, is that Gracie has this imagined list of what good mothers do, and giving your child hot dogs and popcorn for breakfast is not on that list. By that reasoning, she must be a bad mother.
I used to have a list like that. But it was entirely too long and much too prim and restrictive. It didn't include "reality hits hard some days" and "children are amazingly resiliant" and "there is no such thing as a 'bad' mom".
I suspect, however, that Gracie's post had less to do with self condemnation and more with just laughing at the absurd ironies of life. She does that sometimes.
I laugh to remind myself not to should myself to death. I laugh because people who laugh live longer. I laugh because mopey people annoy the hell out of me. I laugh because this is the only life I have and I may as well find it amusing. And I laugh because when I laugh I reconcile the shoulds and the actuallys and feel ok about it.
Toads favorite 'breakfast' for nearly a year was: "Hot dog, half mato, dip" which roughly translates to: "hot dog, half a roma tomato and ranch dressing to dip it all into.
It's food. It might not be the best food on the planet, but it's food...
Reading this and hearing your voice in it makes me miss you something fierce.
Hey, he ate something didn't he? He's wearing clothes, right?
I have a three year old son also, and I would be thrilled if he would eat one hot dog, let alone two. Heck, I'd be happy if the skinny little thing would eat a half of a hot dog. It would be a bonus if he would put ketchup on it, because that might count as a vegetable.
I don't see anything wrong with hot dogs for breakfast, but then again, I've been known to feed my kids chocolate cake for breakfast.
Oh, yeah, you should videotape and post that happy hot dog dance. I think we would all love to see it;0)
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