Give them roots and wings

I love routines.  They make the life of a mother, especially a SAHM much more bearable.

Since ensuring my children eat healthily is not my strength, I use routine to help me.

The children drink milk 2 – 3 times a day.  Elkan takes at least two eggs a day, and the rest an average of at least an egg a day.

Thankfully I have two kids who are contented with routine.  Elkan loves peanut butter sandwich (wholemeal!), and Samuel loves chocolate spread sandwich (wholemeal!).  This lazy mum lets them have that nearly everyday.  Elkan takes an apple a day for tea, and Samuel takes fruits every evening on the way home.

Elias is however, another story altogether.  His interest in any food, including fruits, lasts for an average of three meal sittings.  He used to love grapes and apples.  He now loves strawberries and durians. He used to enjoy yoghurt, pancakes, and cheese sandwiches.  He does not like them anymore.  In fact, he does not like bread anymore, except for french toast (his latest interest, which I hope will last for at least four meal sittings).

I am already thankful that he agrees to drink milk twice a day and acquiescent to taking eggs (he used to like them soft-boiled. Now he likes them scrambled.  There was once he liked them hard-boiled.  Now he does not, because he finds them difficult to eat (!)).

We were having pancakes. Elias was eating scrambled eggs.
Long gone are the days when we ALL ate pancakes.

One of Elias’ nightly routine used to be for him to tell me what he would like for breakfast the next day. I used to have a cheery little note somewhere in the house to remind him/me. Then some friends came over and saw it.  After they commented :”Wah, so nice ah”,  I felt embarrassed about doing it, so I stopped. Since then we have had many stressful mornings with harried breakfasts, if any.

Thanks to the Rise and Shine project, I am starting a breakfast menu for Elias again!  I am resigned to the fact that my child has to be treated special, if I want him to eat a proper breakfast.  So it will be cereal, crackers with margarine, eggs, fruits or whatever else catches his fancy for that season.  Each time his taste changes, I will introduce a new item for him. “Yes, I will”, says the mum-slave.

So yes:-

Start small – as I am doing now, to just do a new item each time.

Keep it simple – I will continue to keep my other boys’ breakfast unchanged, unless they are also interested in the brother’s menu, in which case I will prepare extra.

Have a Scheme – I have a simple one.  One which will change regularly thanks to the son-who-adds-colour-to-my-life-in-so-many-ways.  Even then, simply having a system, even one which needs frequent changes, helps me tremendously.

So, keep persevering to find a solution for your meal woes! If I can do it, anyone can 🙂

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