Overcoming the Battle with Micahs eating habits

Overcoming the battle with Micah’s eating habits.

June 26, 2015

Micah had a horrible bout of stomach issues last year serious icky tummy with explosive trips to the potty, accidents and inability to function normally.  The pediatrician, after lots of blood work, referred us to a GI specialist who ended up giving Micah a heavy dose of probiotic that worked wonders and set his gut back on track.  However, because of his gut issues we stopped forcing him to try foods and just allowed him to eat what he felt wouldn’t upset his tummy.  SO now that a year has passed since his stomach drama Micah’s normal mealtime routine is come to the table sit, enjoy conversation but DON’T EAT DINNER… he hasn’t eaten meat (other than “bumpy” bacon and chicken nuggets) in …well I honestly don’t remember the last time.  He dosent pitch a fit, he dosent complain he simply sits and will eat the fruit that is offered and spinach salad, sweet peppers and plain pasta with “shake” parmesan cheese.  THAT’S ALL HE WILL EAT….Like most parents we tried bribing with dessert…the whole family ended up a Brusters for ice cream cones while Micah danced a happy dance with no dinner or treat.  We tried “if you wont eat food then you will have to sit at the table”  SO he sat even through family hallway bowling cheering while his food sat in front of him.  We also tried enforcing early bed time…he still refused to try dinner. 

I had really been concerned with his health, his bruises, his peeling nails, his poor nutrition and lack of protein and decided that for his health we had to help him take control and learn to eat food again.

We had Crock pot chicken fajitas for dinner.  I pulled out a piece of chicken the size of my pinky fingernail, tore it up really tiny and put loads of cheese and made him a cheese roll up with a TINY bite of chicken…he refused.  SO we decided that that’s what he’d have for breakfast…breakfast came and went, then along came lunch….by dinner time Micah had been over 24 hours and had not eaten anything!  (I made pasta for dinner and he agreed to even give the red sauce a try.

The next day didn’t want to give hamburger casserole a try.  Tater tots, hamburger meat topped with lots of shredded cheese…he wouldn’t even try a bite of tater tot- YES a tiny bite of a TATOR TOT!!

SO we brought it out at breakfast.  He was sad. We decided that this was a deeper issue of obeying us.  He refused, we inflicted punishment for being disobedient.  There were tears but Micah carried out his punishment of cleaning his room after receiving a spanking.  At one point he told me, in a very fearful voice, that he saw a man in the back yard making karate chops that scared him (I looked and didn’t see anyone) Then he came out of his room and told me he was just REALLY scared.  After about 30 min he cleaned his room and even made a cool pattern with blankey and his animals on his bed.  He decided he would give the tiny bite of tater tot a try.  He didn’t like it but he obeyed, took a try bite then began this conversation with me.

“Mommy, Hell almost won” 

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you know, Hell or the devil, they didn’t want me to obey, they wanted me to be sad, they wanted me to not have a good day. But I bet all of Heaven is having a party right now”

“Wow, Micah! God is speaking to, you revealing a deeper truth, it was more about the disobedient heart vs the food.  The heart issue.  God loves you and wants you to be happy and eat good food.  And the enemy is on he prowl like a lion looking for someone to take over by whatever means he can, Like the man you thought you saw in the woods doing Karate chops…the devil wants you to be fearful like you felt when you were making the right choice to obey and clean your room even when you didn’t want too!  Following God and being a Christian and making the right choice may not always be easy but God will give you a way, the courage, strength and faith to see things the way HE has designed. Your feelings don’t have to be the indicator of how you react.”

Parenting isn’t easy. Sometimes, A LOT of times, I wonder if I’m doing anything right.  Today I was reminded that obedience and respect for me will help set Micah up to obey and respect Gods commands later.  And that when I’m faced with tough situations I don’t have to let my feelings dictate how I resopond. And that The enemy is very real and just as much as I am warring for my kids souls and hearts, the devil is fighting for them too!  BUT God has already won the victory.  Jesus HAS overcome, HE is enough!