God is the madwoman in the attic.
I'm camped out on the threshold with my journal, camera, and plenty of snacks.

Sunday, November 14, 2010

progress is playing with your food (& mine)

Little N has been on a "food jag" for the better part of a year (longer?). It got especially bad back in the spring when he refused to eat anything but yogurt, applesauce, & milk. That's what first prompted us to seek help.

Part of the therapy for this kind of thing is play. Play with food. Get messy. Food is not just a non-issue - it's light, easy, 3-times-a-day-or-more, silly fun.

In the last couple of weeks we've seen some new developments, like licking a slice of banana bread 10 times, putting a cracker in his mouth for a couple of seconds, speed-feeding me rice crackers, and stabbing satsumas. (His occupational therapist was so impressed when he demonstrated that last one. He WANTS to play with the fruit!)


Other parents will say, "The kid won't let himself starve." But kids with this challenge - will. Some of these kids can't stand being in a room with food out on the table. It's nerve-wracking for something so vital as eating to be a persistent issue for your child.

To me, it feels like it's already been such a long time for Little N to have such a limited diet. The therapists tell me it does take a long time and he is already showing these new signs of mastering the challenge of food.

Despite it all, Little N is energetic, happy, growing, very strong, stretching past limits we don't understand and engaging with the world in new ways.


1 comment:

Sylvie M said...

I am impressed by this approach of playing with food and the results.
I studied art-therapy a little before I realized I wasn't strong enough to help others this way. But art therapy saved my life. No doubt it will help Little N.

Sylvie from France