A little humble soup

There's nothing like a 3-year-old to deflate your ego a little. I've been feeling like a bit of a domestic goddess lately. I'm going to school, the house is staying (reasonably) clean, I pack lunches for my family every night, the kids get bathed regularly, everyone has clean clothes and I make dinner the great majority of the time. My husband regularly praises my cooking, which is highly appreciated.

T is not always so appreciative. I made turkey meatball and dumpling soup for dinner last night. T tried a few bites and turned his nose up. Then he realized that he didn't get to have one of the leftover apple donuts for dessert if he didn't eat dinner. I listened to the drama unfold from the living room.

First, he tried bargaining.

T: "Daddy, can I have a sandwich instead?"

Ry: "No T, this is what we had for dinner."

Then the real rhetoric started.

T: "But, remember I tried it!"

Ry: "Yes, you did, but you have to eat more than that to have an apple donut."

T: "But, remember it didn't smell very good?"

Ry: "Let me smell. That's how it's supposed to smell."

T: "But, remember that it didn't taste very good?"

Ry: "It tastes good. Look, there's carrot and turkey and biscuit. It's all food that you like!"

T: "But, it doesn't taste very good!"

Ry: "It tastes good T."

T: "But, it's pretty yucky!"

Ry: "No one is making you eat it. You can just stop eating it."

T: "But, I want a donut!"

Ry: "Then you know what you have to do."

T: "But ...."

At that point, I took F upstairs to go to bed. When I returned downstairs, I learned that T had managed to force down some soup to earn his apple donut. I want my eat-anything toddler back. Zucchini used to be his favorite food, for goodness sake. The last time he ate it, he actually gagged. Sigh. At least he's keeping my ego in check.