Madison Eating a grape

Last weekend Shelly was out of town and I was in charge of the Girls, and I was determined to break Madison of some of her finickiness with food. So during Friday night's dinner, when Madison wanted seconds, I gave her a bowl of orange slices and grapes instead. Madison has never tried a grape or orange slice. As silly as that sounds, she always adamantly refused. And though I should not care, since grapes and oranges are nothing more than capsules full of sugar water , it bothers me. What kid doesn't like grapes? I was convinced once she tried one, she would fall in love with them. Of course, that night she did not eat any of them and elected to go to bed instead -a common technique. Not to be out witted by my three year old daughter, the next morning, when she came down for breakfast, I had the same bowl of grapes and oranges waiting for her. Now I want to take a minute here -IT'S GRAPES AND ORANGES! It is not like I am asking M t o eat Rockey Mountain oysters and cow tongue. Of course, Madison did not see the difference and refused to eat breakfast. At this point, it became a test of wills, and my daughter was not going to beat me (or so I thought). Madison sat at the table for 3 hours refusing to try a grape or orange slice. Yes, three hours, doing and saying nothing! Water-boarding could not break Madison's determination not to try a grape or orange slice. Finally, not wanting to waste the day away at the kitchen table, I elected to defer the battle over the grapes until dinner and fed her a normal breakfast (lunch by this time). Before going outside, I warned her that the grapes and orange slices would be on her plate for dinner.

My neighbor brought me a spinach & feta quiche for dinner. This was Dad's brilliant moment. I offered Madison a choice: a bite of grape or a bite of quiche. Yes, now she had to chose her fate not be forced into it. To my silent delight, she chose the grape! Now she would see they were actually little balloons of sugar water, nothing but sweet goodness. She would realize what little little nutritious value grapes have and thus make them her new favorite food. She put the grape in her mouth. . . .Chew, chew . . ."Madison, sweet, huh. Do you like them?" . . .cough, cough . . ."Come on Madison! Don't give me that fake gag routine. It's a grape! It's nothing but sugar, your favorite!" .`.`. And this is when Madison proceeded to vomit all over her father. Yes, my daughter gagged on the one and only grape she tried, and she made sure I learned my lesson while she did it. As much as it bothers me that Madison refuses to eat anything outside the meat, dairy, or grain column, I know now I cannot make her eat anything she has an aversion to trying.