Calen Vs Enchilada Bake

My kids are such picky eaters. 

Correction: CALEN is such a picky eater. Camden will eat anything. Including dirt, cardboard, bread clips and cat food. 

I refuse to be a short-order cook. The only time that the kids will eat something other than what I cook for dinner is if it's something too spicy that Brad and I want to eat (especially since I have to try all these amazing Pinterest recipes I find). Otherwise, the kids will eat whatever is for dinner. They don't necessarily have to clear their plates but they do need to need to make a good dent. If they don't like it, they don't get anything else. 

Spare me the hate mail. I do not starve our children. With main courses (especially new dishes that I try and not positive if they'll like it or not) there is always something on their plate that they DO like, like a piece of cheese or hard boiled egg or applesauce. And they always get what they want to eat for lunch and breakfast. Unless they ask for like ice cream and candy corn for breakfast. That usually doesn't happen.

Tonight I made a yummy kid-friendly chicken and bean enchilada bake. There's nothing in there that the kids wouldn't like. It's like, shredded chicken and beans and spiral noodles and tomatoes and enchilada sauce and tons of cheese. There's some red peppers in it but they were big enough that they could be picked out. 

I don't use Calen as a judgment as to whether the meal is kid-friendly or not. Because anything different to him is disgusting even before it ever enters his mouth. I use Camden, because if it's truly gross to a child's palate he won't eat it. 

Camden devoured it which means it passed the kid test. Calen however was certain it was going to poison him so we wouldn't touch it. He'd take a bite (after much threatening convincing) and then pretend to gag which causes him to nearly throw up ::rolls eyes::. 

Calen vs Enchilada Bake

I tried to bribe him tonight by saying if he cleared his plate (seriously, like six bites. Kid bites) he could have a special treat for dessert. Dessert is a very rare commodity in our house so offering it as a reward for eating dinner is like getting a Gold Medal. And he really wanted dessert. 

Except it meant he had to eat the poison that is enchilada bake. Six entire bites of it. So he sat there. Forever. 

Camden ate all his food so he got a little bowl of sliced strawberries with whip cream. Which he ate in front of Calen. I figured that was pretty good motivation. Strawberries are Calen's favorite. 

But Calen kept whining and kicking his food around his plate with his fork. 

Brad and I cleared the table and then we sat down with our bowls of dessert. And even teased Calen a little by going "Mmmmmm YUM" after each bite and promising Calen that he too could have dessert if he ate his dinner.

More toying around with his food. And drinking juice. And using his fork as a space ship above his head. And making faces at Camden (who by the way was completely done with his dessert by now and was licking his bowl clean. Literally). But no eating.

Camden licking (the outside) of his bowl clean staring (and taunting) his stubborn brother.

Brad and I cleaned up all the toys and vacuumed the floor and fed the dogs and cleaned up the kitchen (all our evening chores). We cleaned up Cam and put him in jammies. 

And Calen STILL just sat there. I told him he could get down if he was done. But he kept insisting "I want strawberries and 'ice cream'!" so he wouldn't get down. But he wouldn't eat either. 

I told Calen I was putting Cam to bed and if he wasn't done eating by the time I came back downstairs he was going to bed without dessert. By now it had been 45 minutes of him sitting at the table. I'm pretty sure he was expecting us to break down and just give him dessert without him finishing dinner. This was a battle of wills. And the only person in this house more stubborn than Calen is me. 

I came downstairs after putting Cam to bed (maybe ten minutes) to Brad grinning victoriously and whispering to me: "Calen ate his dinner." I walked into the dining room to find Calen with a huge shit-eating grin eating his hard-earned strawberries and whipped cream.

Victory for Calen (victory for Mom and Dad too)

Jeebus Calen, if you had just surrendered an HOUR ago you could have had dessert with the rest of us. 

In the end, we all won the battle. We got Calen to eat his dinner and he got his special treat.  

Aren't we just the worst parents ever? 

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