First off, let me start by saying that I don't want this to be taken as a call for attention. You don't need to leave a comment here telling me that I'm a good mom. I'm not depressed and I'm not fishing for compliments.
Today I took my oldest daughter to a series of back to back doctor's appointments. The first was her annual school physical with her pediatrician. The second was a visit with her pediatric neurologist (because of her extreme prematurity, Emma has to be followed by more specialists than she would like and than I would care to admit.) At the pediatrician, her height was measured and she was weighed. After the doctor checked all her vitals and asked her a bunch of questions, she looked over her growth and expressed her concern that while Emma had grown over 4 inches in the last year, she had only gained one pound. In a time of regular news reports on childhood obesity, I then got the fifth degree about why she had only gained a pound. Was I buying her whole milk? Am I giving her too many diet/ low-fat foods? Etc., etc., etc. Whole milk? The kid will be 12 in 2 months. I don't give her diet food. Sheesh. You know the part in Mister Mom where Michael Keaton drives the carpool the wrong way during school pick-up and the other moms all say, "You're doing it wrong!"? Let me tell you, I was feeling it.
Then we went to the neurologist. Her neurologist is fantastic. I really love her. But again.... "Mrs. Daniel, she's lost some weight. What's going on?" Okay, okay, she resists me prying her mouth open and shoving the food in. I admit it. I'm awful. Actually, here's the simple truth: She's never had a big appetite. I've always had a hard time getting her to eat -- ALWAYS. It's never been easy, and the older she gets, the more it's entirely in her control. I know, I'm doing it wrong. But for the record, she's not really MINE anyway. She is a daughter of God, and He thought I could handle her and so He sent her to me. And in the end, I think that's going to have to be enough. That and bacon. I'm going to buy her more bacon.
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8 comments:
um yeah! i think BK still has those triple stack, slathered with mayo and covered in bacon things...the sad thing is - if she was overweight they'd be worrying too...never happy. just say you people are never happy and move on:)
Funny! :) I do think doctors can get too hung up on weight. I mean, in childhood weight is ever-changing. Sometimes they gain and sometimes they don't, even if they are having a growth spurt.
My daughter, who just turned 12, and just surpassed my height, has had her weight go up a few pounds and go down a few over the year. When everything is shifting sometimes it happens that way.
Your doctors need to relax and wait for a year or two to start to question, unless of course, she starts dramatically losing weight. Otherwise, though, sounds like they need to loosen up.
Don't listen to them. You are her mother, you live with her on a daily basis, you know what's right for her.
Our pediatrician sent me to have all these tests run on Betta because she fell off the weight curve. (Aside: I'm sure that's funny because you know how I look and it seems strange to have such a skinny baby.) I got the talking to also. Oh? I'm not supposed to give her skim milk? What? Oh. No more rice cakes and rabbit food? Got it. Okay. The kid eats like a horse--and loves her cake and ice cream.
Emma is fine. She always has been.
French fries with every meal :) I agree with your friend. Paige has grown taller and has gone up and down with her weight all year. It is what it is. glad to see you're still blogging.
Your Mister Mom quote reminded me of a quote from Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, when Steve Martin and John Candy are driving down the wrong way of the highway, and another car yells to them "You're going the wrong way," and John says "how do they know which way were going?"
As for weight loss remedies, Jack in the Box's Ultimate Cheeseburger is perfect, you can actually hear your arteries clogging as you eat it.
I hear ya on the kids don't eat thing. When I ask Griff what he wants to eat his response, after a thoughtful pause, is always "I'll just have nothing."
"you're doing it wrong!" you and me both along with every other parent on the planet! We are ALL doing it wrong! Some worst than others but the reality of it all is that no matter how hard we try we are all going to screw our kids up in one way or the other. If not prying your child's mouth open to pour down some high fat foods is what your doing wrong, I'm not sure I would be wanting to do it right! You can't force that age child to do anything... especially eat! My problem is quite opposite. I can't keep my oldest from snacking every time I leave the room. So do I lock my pantry and fridge? No! I just "do it wrong!"
Rush is off the charts BIG. His little friend at church was standing at the glass door on Sunday when Rush crawled up next to her (Yep, he is 15 months and still not walking. I'm a bad mom too.)and was as tall kneeling as she was standing. It doesn't take being a pediatrician to say ridiculous things about a child's weight and height. You should hear some of the comments I get. And no, I don't give him whole milk . . . he's lactose intolerant!
My niece lives off of peanut butter crackers (only) and has all of her life! It is quite shocking actually BUT my sister LOVES to rub it in that she is the healthiest of all the kids! So get some peanut butter crackers going!
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