Not so much

I don't know about your house, but there is almost always some kind of drama at dinner time at our house. Usually, it revolves around the fact that someone doesn't like what we're having. In my defense, two of my children really don't like anything but mac n cheese, hot dogs, pizza and PB&J. I just think that's a pathetic diet, so I force things like chicken and vegetables on them during the evening meal. The rule is that you must take one bite of everything on your plate in order to be excused. Dessert privileges are directly related to how much dinner you eat. For example, one bite of each thing on your plate earns you one bite of dessert. I've never subscribed to the "clean your plate" theory, but asking a child to try everything seems reasonable to me.

Last night, we were eating parmesan chicken, spaghetti and salad. Blake and Brady ate all of their spaghetti and asked for more. I replied that they must eat a bite of chicken first. Brady fell to pieces, screaming and whining and eventually being sent to his room to calm himself down. Blake proceeded to choke down the chicken (making constant vomiting noises), after making this comment: "Sydney and Max eat everything. Me and Brady, not so much." Such truth. He cracks me up.