In my crusade against sugar, today I instigated a ‘new deal’. Anna has a bowl of porridge for breakfast every morning, and she likes to add sugar on the top. I can’t remember the origin of this arrangement. A good guess is that I suggested it to solve one problem – like a refusal to eat any porridge at all – and in doing so, created another.
Nevermind, to the new porridge deal. Anna can still have sugar on her porridge, but the following conditions apply and are non negotiable.
- The sugar is not from the jar, the sugar is from a small egg cup (into which I have already placed one teaspoon only of sugar).
- Anna can still put her own sugar onto her porridge, but not all at once (because the sugar sinks in before she’s eaten the whole bowl, which makes her cry because she thinks it’s disappeared, which in turn motivates an incandescent request for more sugar). So, the sugar must go on a bit at a time.
- No more sugar will be provided for the porridge.
Anna says nothing.
‘OK?’ I ask.
‘OK’ she says. But she is a blank and I am nervous.
I watch her. She sits at the table, picks up her spoon and then Sam enters the kitchen and then Emily and they both want something, and Sam isn’t dressed yet, and Anna wants toast, and my tea is now cold and the radio too loud, and Sam wants a poo, and the toast pops up. By the time I next check in on progress with Anna and the new porridge deal, she has finished the whole bowl.
‘Oh well done! You’ve eaten it all up and there were no arguments. You did really well, sweetie.’ And I think, ‘job done, high five mom!’
‘And look,’ Anna says showing me the egg cup, ‘I didn’t eat any of the sugar at all!’
‘Amazing!’ I say with considerable sincere astonishment.
Then she picks up the egg cup and pours the sugar into her mouth like a drink. ‘Mmmmm,’ and she rubs her tummy.
‘S****.
Triple Trouble Tribe 