head-to-head

WHOA.

I'm feeling really beat tonight.

I've been struggling with getting Kate to eat what I make. Usually I try to give her things that she likes, and sometimes I try to get the girls to eat what we eat (when we have dinner before they go to bed).

I had some soup left that she and Kyler had both had in the past and liked. So... I decided to give them some of that for dinner, with a few other things also.

Kate refused to eat any of it.

Kyler even got a half of an oatmeal cookie that YaYa had made because she ate her dinner so good. Kate LOVES cookies. But still, no soup. Not even just ONE bite.

Since I had already made a big deal about it, I felt like I couldn't back down.

So I didn't.

When it came time for milk, Dora and then bedtime, Kate still refused to have one bite of soup. So, I put her milk up, told her to say good night, and I put her in her bed (all the while, Kyler was sitting on the couch having milk and watching Dora).

Of course Kate was sobbing. And it only took me putting her in her bed, backing away and asking her if she was ready to have a bite of soup.

She immediately said yes, so I picked her up and we came back to the kitchen and she took a bite. I said "see that wasn't so bad. It's yummy. Do you want another bite?" She said yes and then proceeded to eat the whole bowl of soup (which was way more than was on her plate to begin with).

I was so happy with her, so she got her milk and a half of a cookie.

Yes, right before bedtime.

And after Dora, both girls went right to bed.

It was a major victory for me. KG reminded me that I went head-to-head with a extremely stubborn little girl and I won.

But I still feel absolutely horrible for it.