Slowly

Toby is such a slow eater.  Even if we give him his food early, he is the last to finish.  It is the same every night.

Before he even takes a bite he is finds some excuse to get out of his seat: to get Nellie something or take a toy out of the kitchen, to go to the bathroom, anything.  We are trying to think of ways to keep him seated.

Then he might take a bite or two, but he likes to talk.  He is so sweet that it is hard not to listen to him.  Every night he thanks me for making him dinner, even when he doesn't really like it.  He will say something like, "Thank you for making me this fish, sometimes I like it sometimes I don't."  I get thanked for meals I spent a lot of time on and even for hot dogs I threw on the stove.  Sometimes it is telling someone not to talk with food in their mouth.

By the time everyone else is finished he still has most of his dinner on his plate and usually asks Mom or Dad to feed him.  We often oblige him just to have him finish.  Before Ash Wednesday, the whole family talked about what we would be giving up for lent.  Toby is so little that we were not really concerned with him giving something up but suggested he give up being fed (just to clarify: not in not getting food but us not spooning the food into his mouth).

Almost every night this Lent, toward the end of dinner, Toby quietly asks, "Is it still Lent?" He grumbles slightly when I say yes, but doesn't ask to be fed. On some days I have compromised and gotten his fork ready for him, but I have been impressed with his resolve.  He will also accept finishing his dinner with a spoon.  We were hoping this would break the habit, but think after Easter we will be hearing, "Can you feed me?" again.


Toby finishing his dinner after everyone else has cleared their place and has left the kitchen.