Mealtime Battles

08/21/2013

Responsibility does not only lie with the leaders of our countries or with those who have been appointed or elected to do a particular job. It lies with each of us individually. Peace, for example, starts within each one of us. When we have inner peace, we can be at peace with those around us.
The Dalai Lama

"The child who refuses to eat, who refuses to be defeated in the mealtime battle, will most certainly be the child who hasn't been asked into the partnership," observes Pennie Brownlee in Dance with me in the Heart: The Adults' Guide to Great Infant-Parent Partnerships. She explains:

"This child is expected to dance to someone else's tune rather than being encouraged to move towards autonomy. It seems that quite unconsciously, these children have to find ways to exercise their autonomy as they push to develop, and eating, toileting, and sleeping are three very good places to start. When any of these activities start to resemble a battleground, it is time to reassess the battle plan. Call a truce, declare peace, take your cues from the child, and get back into heart coherence. Battles around these crucial activities do long-term unnecessary damage to the psyche. As my Dad used to say, 'There is no such thing as an unwounded soldier.'"

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