I am not a fan of drinking milk, so I am not the best example for my monkeys. I don't like the taste of it unless it is super duper cold or is poured over cereal. I am not the one who drinks the left over milk from my bowl of cereal, that is why I have Rudy, he loves to drink the milk, that is his job!
My kids have all gone through the early stage where they can't seem to handle milk. Nick was so severe that he had to drink Nutramigen until he was 18 months and then soy milk until he was about 4 years old. Abby was on soy formula until a year and then drank soy milk with Nick more because she preferred it, I don't think it was much of a necessity for her like with Nick. Harrison couldn't really drink cows milk straight for a while, but he also nursed a long time so I never worried about it. Millie is the same as Harrison, she is still nursing but she does seem to have issues with her bottom when she drinks too much milk.
Now that everyone (except Millie) is on the same page and all drinking skim milk, I pour a glass of milk with dinner each night and expect them to drink it. Lately it has become the battle of the week. I don't mind putting a little Hershey's in the cup, but if we are out of chocolate, then the milk still needs to disappear. Perhaps that is part of my midwest upbringing, or the slogan "Milk, it does the body good" but I do feel strongly that milk is just something you drink every day while the bones are growing! I am sure my kids could drink more but with the battle of just one cup, I have to pick my battles.
Harrison will drink, easily, three glasses of milk at dinner and have milk at lunch at school, so I don't worry about him. If I give Nick milk, he'll drink it but not always be happy about it. Abby lately has become a different story! It is the battle of the week and good grief is she getting snitty about it! I was in the middle of it at dinner the other night and had picked it as my battle and I was going to stand by it when Daddy decided she didn't need the milk and told her it was alright, she could go with out drinking it.
At some point the battle goes way beyond the original battle. This battle between Abby and I was no longer about drinking milk, it had reached the point of 'you are being a brat about it, and you need to do what your Mom says" but still, Tom decided it was about milk and let her go.
A little background, Abby doesn't eat. She will sit at the table and take maybe two bites of food and that is that. So, I don't think it is asking too much for her to at least drink some milk to help give her body something to work with. About one week every couple months, she will eat everything we put in front of her, the other weeks, she takes about 10 bites a day, thus I feel it is important to make sure what is going in, it maximizing it's usefullness to a growing body! I have considered rolling her food in ground up miracle grow and crushed vitamins, that way her six bites are complete nutrition, but that probably would be a bit overkill!
So anyway, I didn't intend on bashing my husband or airing our disagreement, or even singing the praises of milk as it is probably my last choice of beverages personally! I guess I am just rambling, just one of the daily struggles we have around here. It is 9:40am and I am already starting to anticipate the battle that will happen in 8 hours when we sit down at the dinner table!
That kind of day
11 years ago
2 comments:
Why not try getting her calcium reguirements met in another way? Try giving her cheese cubes to snack on and try to make sure there is calcium in every meal. I know that little ones tend to graze more than eat meals, so try filling up a glass with milk in the morning,and every so often try to get her to drink a sip or two. By the end of the day, if the milk is not finished, give the rest to her for dinner. It will be much less daunting a task to finish a smaller amount of milk. Good luck!
You are right, and thanks for the suggestions. I know if I were to chart her food over the course of a week, which "they" tell you to do with kids this age, that her needs are being met elsewhere. She loves cheese, loves broccoli and many other calcium rich foods. I guess at some times, especially by the dinner hour when I am pretty much spent for the day, I let the power struggle get in the way, the feeling that if I have put out one simple 'gotta do' for the kids, that it isn't asking much of them and if I back down, then they win, and next time the battle becomes about something else because it worked in the Battle of the Milk.
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