Open Wide for Feeding Time–Happy Family Bright Side Sweepstakes #HFbrightside #ad

(This blog post is part of a paid SocialMoms and Happy Family blogging program. The opinions and ideas expressed here are my own. #HFbrightside #ad)

What is it about feeding time that makes parents turn to transportation techniques to convince their children to ‘open wide’?

Seriously.

Think about it.

Who decided the very first time that a spoon should morph into a choo-choo train to convince a toddler to unclench his jaw and try whatever it is you’re feeding him?

And at what point did that become an airplane, zooming into loops around the baby’s face until you finally come in for a landing between the lips?

I don’t know who started it, but I know is it’s been going on for ages, and every parent I know has tried it.

Why?

Because it works!

Right up until that child decides they want to give self-feeding a try.

Then, it’s more like a game of pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey.

Getting the coordination to get that spoon into his own mouth can get downright dangerous.

But isn’t it fun to watch?

And then, when he masters it, he might as well have walked on the moon!

My kiddos are well past their baby years now, but I love looking at old photos of my kids in their high-chairs, trying to get in enough food to fill them up before turning that meal into the equivalent of finger paint on what used to be their pristine, white tray.

Ultimately, the finger painting-with-food becomes a different game…toss across.  You know the one, where you throw the food to hit a different target with each toss?  The point is, you throw something.  And that’s what the kids do.  And yep, they aren’t shy about hitting you.  In fact, they think that’s like hitting the bullseye.

The phrase, ‘winner, winner, chicken dinner’ takes on an entirely different meaning, right?

As toddlers, their little minds have so much flying around at any given second…it’s fun to see what has become of these little foodies so many years later.  My children are 8 on up to 19 now and I’m not saying their feeding skills have advanced as much as I’d like, but they aren’t throwing it nearly as often.  Parents learn to appreciate progress (you’ll see…with teenagers progress can mean baby steps, too).

However, you can bet, they’ll be morphing into trains and airplanes when it comes time to feed their kids, too.

I’m sharing my story as part of the campaign “Stories from the Bright Side” that Happy Family is running throughout the summer.  It shines a humorous light on food and feeding challenges, including several articles submitted by bloggers.  And get this: those stories were then acted out by the improv troupe Upright Citizen’s Brigade.  Fun, right?  You have to go check it out.

Do you have a fun story about your kiddos that you remember fondly?  Why not share that story and read others at the ‘Stories from the Bright Side’ portion of Happy Family’s Facebook page?  It can be a video, a little story like mine, or image focusing on food and kids.

New videos are being shared every week there.  And get this—all submissions will be judged by a panel from Happy Family for a chance to win a $20,000 towards college.  I’m at that point where I’m paying for college, and let me tell you, 20k can go a long way! (The rules and regulations are on the Facebook page).  Money can be quite the motivator!

Meantime, you can also save a little on their food if you go “like” Happy Family on Facebook and grab a $0.50 coupon,  and a $1.00 off  Happy Tot or Happy Baby Pouches.  This link will help you find a place to buy the product.

Enjoy!

“This blog post is part of a paid SocialMoms and Happy Family blogging program. The opinions and ideas expressed here are my own.”