Drivin' and eatin'

As you all know, anything related to food with Jamie can be a challenge. Occasionally, very occasionally, he can get an eating on him and just go crazy. Other times, if he's somehow distracted in a way that doesn't make him want to leave the table he can very easily polish off a meal before he's even aware that he's done it. I think it must be that he gets enough nutrition at these times to cover himself because the rest of the time he sure doesn't eat much. We've been working out for a while why this is because it's clear that all things being equal he doesn't actually dislike food, and I think a couple of things are in play. The main thing is that he simply doesn't want to sit there, when he could be doing something else more fun. Whatever hunger he has just generally isn't enough to overrule this impulse, at least for very long. He would be perfectly happy eating if we would let him bring the food to where ever he's playing, or even if it could stay at the table and he could come back and take a handful when he wanted. But no, we're mean parents, so we don't let him do that.

The other piece to the puzzle is that Jamie now proclaims his hunger every time we are about to get in the car. This has been on the increase lately and has really been confounding us. In part we can recognize it as just a time-honored delaying tactic, one also mobilized when it is bedtime of course. But I started to figure it out one night when he was refusing to eat a dinner that consisted of entirely foods that we know he likes. I asked him if we put it in a bowl and gave it to him in the car, if he would eat. Without hesitation he said, "Yes! All of it!" "Why?" I asked. I was impressed that he was then able to pretty much vocalize clearly that it was because when he's in the car he's sitting anyway, so he might as well eat, there be nothing better to do. This explains too, that when he waits until the moment we say it's time for bed to declare that he's STARVING, it's more than just delaying bedtime, it's acknowledging that he really is hungry and just doesn't have a more entertaining option.