what is the biggest battle you have had with your child?

Question

Mine is happening right now. He is at the table declaring he will not eat tea. I am over his fussiness (he is 8). He has been sitting for 30 minutes so far. He has even volunteered to have his mouth washed out with soap to get out of eating. he has offered up giving up all his after school activities(which he loves). Havn't had a time like this with him since he was little. He has always been fussy but he had gotten better, or so I thought. So this screaming fit of his has prompted me to ask....what is the biggest battle you have had with your child and at what age?

I should add i am not taking him up on any of his offerings. No idea how this is going to end but see how it goes for a while. Not really sure what to do

The idea of to bed without tea was his first idea. He couldn't care less if he had no tea.

how it ended (it just did) he vomitted on his plate. He has had to put himself to bed (never has done this I always tuck them in) We are going out for lunch tomorrow. He will not be going. There is no playing at his friends on the weekend. No PS2 for a month and no scouts next week.

Biggest battle ever. Not looking forward to teenage years

to those who like Denice J are uninformed in life. Tea is the same as Dinner. In Australia the night time meal is refered to as tea

Answer 1

Mine was when my oldest was 8 almost 9, CRAZZZZY time in her life. In our situation the problem was us getting to laxest, she chipped away at us, we just kind of let it go, and got to lazy, that is until she endangered her life. After that, it's "your treated as you act" I don't care how old she it, if she acts like a little girl, she it treated as such. After coming down on her, everything is back to normal. She is 10 now, with almost zero issues (for now, lol).

Answer 2

Wow, I know how you are feeling!! Don't worry and make a huge fuss over this one. Choose your battles wisely. Much more are to come.
I have a 5 year old that does not like what I serve, I say are you done? He say yes, so I take his dinner (tea) and throw it away. He gets nothing after because he refuses to eat. He soon realized that I was not joking and he was hungry for breakfast the next morning. Stand firm, and let him figure it out.
There might be some underline issues as well? You might want to have a talk with him and find out if everything is going ok at school, cub scouts etc... Don't do this at the dinner table, ask him when he comes home from school or something.
Taking everything away from him might not be the best idea. It sound like something is letting him down, or he has a issue that might be uncomfortable to tell you.
Otherwise stand firm and don't stress yourself out it will only make matters worse. Hope this helps.

Answer 3

Battle over eating is a bad idea. They say you might be able to forcefully put some food into your child's mouth but you can't make him swallow it. The best way is not resist and leave him skip a meal if he wants to. Children often change their mind so after waking up hungry in the middle of the night for a few nights, he might decide it's a good idea to start eating his dinner again. Also food is necessity and people should enjoy it. A number of eating disorders are a result of forcing a child to eat when he doesn't want to. They develop a dislike or fear of eating that is hard to cope with. The bad thing is you already started the battle and if you let go now, he will think he won. So you have to come up with a clever idea that will give him the right to not eat if he doesn't want to but also makes you look as if you are not giving ground. Like you ca talk seriously to him that you and your husband had talked over the situation and you both don't like the idea of him not eating his meal because it might affect his health but have decided he's big enough to take responsibility of how much food enters his stomach so he is not supposed to eat if he doesn't want to but he is supposed to sit at the table with you every night and wait for you to finish eating or he might be excused earlier if he finishes his meal before you. Then take your time and have aleisurely dinner. You might still carry on with all the punishments that you promised him so he doesn't think they were all idle threats.

By the way, my daugther is a picky eater and if I force food into her mouth, she throws up. So i know what I'm talking about. :-)

Answer 4

I think I must have been exceptionally lucky in my kids. I don't remember any battles like that.

I rather think I would have called his bluff with the first offer of going to bed with tea uneaten. For certain he wouldn't starve and I would have made darn sure that he couldn't get access to any other food in the house until breakfast time. Smiling all the while and saying sweetly . " I am sure you will feel better in the morning dear!"

Come to think of it, I guess that is how I avoided battles, by being a first class c**!

As a mother you can never win, they always manage to outsmart you somehow, but that is how they grow into independent thinking adults.

That I can vouch for- i have three of them!

Answer 5

If he refuses to eat just let it go. It's him that will be hungry.

My biggest battle so far has been getting the teeth brushed but that's alot better now. She doesn't mind and will even go get her toothbrush during the day to brush them herself.

Answer 6

I am the dad I do not let my kids have any battles with me. I also do not make my kids eat everything. If they do not eat what I give them then they do not eat. I will not let them have any thing else either.

Answer 7

no candy or anything he can get to eat, to bed with no food, and let him figure out he will get hungry. wait till hes a teenager, you will find out what battles are.

Answer 8

Wow, why would you want your child to eat tea? I wouldn't eat tea either. It is nasty stuff and I wouldn't have my child eat it. No wonder he's threatening to not do all that stuff. I would too and I don't blame him. Please, don't make him eat tea. Thank you.