“Good morning sweetie!” I greet Kenzie as she comes down the stairs. Theres something about the sleepy eyes, flushed cheeks and crazy hair of my 2 year old that melts my heart every single morning.

“I’m hungry!” She announces with obviously no time for greetings that don’t fill empty stomachs.

“Ok… what do you want to eat?”

“CEREAL!”

No. I refuse to even consider that option. The only cereal she’ll eat is lucky charms, and she picks out all the candies then I throw the rest away. The last couple mornings she had lucky charms and I’m not about to throw away her breakfast again and have her say half an hour later: What shall I eat?!

No. Definitely not cereal.

“Kenzie, How bout eggs?”

“No! Cereal!”

“Pancakes?”

“I said cereal!”

“Shall I make toast?”

“NO! I want cereal!”

“Kenzie, last time you didn’t eat your cereal, so you need to eat something else.”

“I’ll eat AALLLL my cereal this time!”

Yea Right. I didn’t believe that for a second. I also realized there was no convincing her. So I made a pancake and an egg and set it on here table.

She walks in, sees the food waiting for her and in a very disappointed voice says: “Oh, you made me a pancake.”

“Yes, I did and its going to be so YUMMY!” I try to make it sound like its the coolest thing she ate all year.

She remains unconvinced.

30 minutes later, I realize her breakfast still hasn’t been touched.

Oh dear.

“Kenzie, come sit on your chair, and you can’t get off till you eat your food.”

“But, I’m not hungry anymore.”

“Kenz, right now.”

She sits.

She picks up her toy phone and proceeds to have a lengthy phone conversation.

I move all her toys out of reach including the phone. ” You need to eat before you can play.”

“But, my phone is ringing.”

“You can answer it when you’re done eating. Now eat!”

She picks up her glass and takes a loooong drink, I believe it may have been the longest drink ever taken.

“Kenz, eat!”

She picks up her fork and drags it around on her plate, creating some kind of shrill, eerie squeaking sound.

“Kenzie!”

“I’M EATING!”

“No, take a bite.”

She starts singing.

“Kenzie, no singing till you’re done eating!”

“Ok, I won’t.”

“Take a bite.”

“Ummm, let me see which one I want.” She studies her plate with an intense look as if searching for that one bite that might taste like something other then pancake. Maybe she is hoping to find a hidden bite of cereal.

“Kenzie, take a bite.”

She takes a bite, then resumes her ‘non-eating’ antics.

“Take another bite.”

“Ok, which one do I want?”

“That one, I point to a bite.”

“Ummm, let me see I think I want this one! She chooses a different one then I picked out.

“Ok, eat that one then.”

“Kenz, another bite.” I set a piece of chocolate on the table (out of reach) maybe that will motivate her.

“Oooh, I can eat chocolate when I’m all done?!”

“Yep. Eat another bite, quickly before I eat your chocolate.”

“Ok.”

“Kenz, eat another bite.”

“Maybe, I should et my egg now.”

“Yea, that would be a good idea.”

She takes a bite.

“EWWW. I think that egg is kinda nasty!”

“Yea thats cause it got cold,  if u would eat it right away, it would be good! Eat another bite.”

She plunges her fork into the next bite and somehow sends it sailing to the floor.

She starts to get up.

“Just let it there. We can pick it up, when you’re done eating”

The next 2 bites mysteriously end up on the floor too.

“KENZIE!”

She looks at me with guilt written all over face.

“One more bite then I’ll be all done.” She is now trying to negotiate.

I eye her plate which is still half full. “I think you should eat more.”

“Can you help me?”

Really?! “No, I think you can eat by yourself.”

She eats in silence for awhile. I watch in amazement as bites disappear one after the other without any instruction from me.

“Now I’m AAALLLL done!”

She stacked her egg plate on top of her pancake plate, yes she uses 2 plates because it would be quite disastrous if her egg ended up with a dab of pancake syrup, or worse yet, some egg on her pancake! Can you even begin to imagine the horrors that might occur?!)

Anyway her plates are stacked, with the top one almost empty, leaving me to wonder how much is hidden on the bottom plate. But… her plate looks empty so she has me convinced: she is AAALLL done!

She eats her chocolate and I’m relieved to be done giving step by step eating directions.

I must say though, I’m really not sure who won this food fight.

I’m sure of one thing though.

We will do this again tomorrow morning.

And the next…

And the next…

Until I get tired of it and give in to the cereal pleas again.:)

I know, I know! Most kids eat by themselves by the time they’re almost 3.

Don’t worry though I have high hopes of her learning how before she reaches adulthood.

She is getting there, one bite at a time!:)