Thought for food

We are switching from talking about tidying to talking about eating and health. That may seem like a change in focus, but that ability to tune into yourself is equally important.

I am going to focus on some studies in other posts, but first I want to mention something from Health At Every Size by Lindo Bacon.

They mention a story about their son when he was a baby. One day Lindo's mother was feeding the baby. He did eat, and then he stopped. The grandmother tried pleading and the airplane thing, feeling that more eating needed to happen, but the child was done.

The point was that -- even for infants -- we don't listen to their body cues.

I get that there can be a lot of anxiety about raising children. Hold on to that thought while I mention my dog, but also know that I am in no way saying that having pets is equivalent to having children. Humans and other animals are different; got it!

However, a pet is a living creature for whom you are responsible and yet where they may have difficulty in communicating their wants and needs. Therefore, there might be some similar applications.

Dellie is a good girl, but sometimes -- especially in warmer weather -- she seems to become a food snob. She will even get picky with treats sometimes, dropping one that she was perfectly happy with the day before. 

I think she does like variety, perhaps more than the average dog, but when she skips three meals in a row, it's hard not to worry and get desperate, and maybe add special things that she then does eat. 

That is why I think that the snobbery and variety is at least a part of it, but also, probably sometimes she just isn't hungry. I can't just ask her to tell me.

Since she is still interested in treats, that tells me that it is probably not indigestion or tooth pain or something like that. She still has good energy. Her weight is not fluctuating. All of that leads me to conclude that it is fine for her to skip these meals; she will eat when she is ready.

If she were lethargic, or tried eating and whimpered, or ate a little then threw up, or was suddenly getting thinner or I were noticing something with her stool, then it is time for the vet. Even without language, there are many indicators of how she is doing.

There are similar indicators that you can use to figure out what is going on with your child. 

If your child stops eating the carrots at one point, but then by the next meal time will eat them again, that was probably just the child being full.

If the child always clamps up on peas, your child may hate peas. 

That can be trickier, as food variety is an important part of nutrition, but during the baby food stage that is not a tragedy. Maybe you can have a go with peas later. If for now the child is good with green beans and pears and bananas, well, maybe that's sufficient.

A certain amount of observation is necessary anyway, right? You need to keep an eye out for developing allergies, and you would probably be keeping an eye out for energy levels and growth. You will definitely be aware of output, with an opportunity to notice it with every diaper change.

It seems possible that you can safely start recognizing and honoring signals for fullness, first tentatively and then more confidently. That can be a great gift to your child, and to you.

That makes the next question whether you can do that for yourself.

Children generally grow up, meaning that even if your worry levels stay high, your control levels do not. 

Your responsibility for yourself stays with you for all of your life.

Can you honor that?