phoebe Report post Posted February 14, 2007 A new challenge is raising its head and I wonder if amyone has been through it or can offer any advice? DS has always been a great eater, he is health conscious about his food, but there are a few things that are beginning to worry me. He will not have school lunch (understandable)! so I send him with packed lunch every day. It is really difficult to know what to put in it because he has different fads. Both yesterday and the day before, he came home without having eaten any lunch. Yesterday, he didn't even drink the carton of juice. I try to put things in that he will eat and I ask him to chose from the "goody box" his extras, but he still will not eat someimes. Last year, he was weeing a lot and washing his hands a lot and I went to the doc about it because his hands were raw. The doc tested his wee, but also advised that he limit his drinks to 5 during the school day. (he only ever drinks water or milk anyway). This has helped with the wee problem and the hand washing, but his take on it all was to STOP DRINKING at school. We have tried various methods of encouragement/monitoring his drink, but he now basically believes he is doing the right thing by not drinking. Back with the food. He reads the information on packaging and if he believes the salt or fat content to be too high, he will not eat that thing anymore - less and less things are on his menu. I cook from scratch a lot, and I have tried to explain to him about balancing a diet and that all things are ok in moderation...... Also, if he is doing his screen time or wants to watch his fave show, he will ignore all bodily needs to do so. This includes eating and drinking. If allowed to, he would have missed his dinner last night too, but I said that if he didn't come eat, there would be no more TV for the rest of the day, and he came. I dont want to start making an issue of food and I dont want him to get the wrong message as with the drinks, but I am getting increasingly concerned that he is "controlling" himself and would like to try to nip it in the bud. Anyone been here? Phoebe Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oxgirl Report post Posted February 14, 2007 Sorry to hear about this phoebe, you must be very worried. Sounds like your lad has taken things very literally and is applying his own rules and following them to the letter. My lad is like this as well, he has rules about food and is very rigid and controlling about it. He has gotten it into his head that he shouldn't eat anything that I don't personally know about or approve (goodness knows where he's gotten this idea from ). Consequently, if he is at school in the Unit and it is someone's birthday and they bring in a lovely chocolate cake to share, he will flatly refuse to have any and will sit there and watch them eat it whilst denying himself. One day when he did this he was tearful in the car on the way home because he really, really wanted some cake, but for some reason known only to himself he could not allow himself to have any, I found it really sad. Even after I have emphatically told him in no uncertain terms that he is totally free to have whatever he fancies and he doesn't need to check with me first, he still insists on doing this. Unbelieveably, when it was HIS birthday I discussed with him what he would like to take in to share, I walked out of the room and a thought suddenly occurred to me ..... I went back in and asked him, 'you will eat some yourself, won't you?' and he was very unsure and thought that he probably wouldn't!! It's really hard, isn't it, to get these ideas out of their heads once they are in there, I know how frustrating it is, but if your lad is going all day without drinking it is very concerning. Would it help if you explained the situation to your GP and arranged with him what he should say to your son in advance and then took your son back so that the GP could tell him how much he should be drinking? Maybe if it was a 'rule' given to him by the GP and you could then be careful to measure out the 'prescribed' amount, he might accept it?? Good luck. <'> ~ Mel ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
