Father Shock

We are obsessed with my son’s diet. We follow every rule and abide every caution. But after a six month visit with our pediatrician, we drove home perplexed by her suggestion; Finger food? The idea of feeding him anything other than muted bowls of beige, brown, and green slop seemed bizarre.  A spark of excitement flicked between us as we considered our options.

My son has never been happier than the day he sat down to a small pile of cheerios. While his mother and I have meticulously investigated almost every bite of food that’s made its way past his tiny lips, the little O’s seemed beyond reproach. In fact, since we started feeding him solids, there has been a fresh box standing in the pantry just waiting to spill at his feet. Now, I’m not sure how cheerios got a free pass. As a new parent decisions are made on a tight rope, looming above a pit of sharply pointed possibilities.  But these little bits of breakfast transcend all manner of scrutiny and intention. Possessed by the spirit of General Mills himself, I passed hand full’s of O’s to my wide-eyed son.

Cheerios have become a staple in our home. Our son will sit quietly chasing the O’s around the perimeter of his small tray, buying us precious minutes to fold a little laundry or do some important bathroom reading. It’s really amazing, we have tried peas, bits of fruit, vegetables, and pasta, but nothing occupies his attention like a crowded plate of O’s.

Just like every other subject on the planet, I’m sure everyone has an opinion. So, fire up your favorite search engine and push your way through the mob of recommendations on the net. Though, making these decisions with your family pediatrician seems like a solid idea to me.  Below is a site I found helpful and also General Mills, baby bullets for Cheerios…

According to General Mills, Cheerios…

 -are the #1 choice of cereals for moms with toddlers.

       -are recommended by 4 out of 5 pediatricians as a finger food for toddlers.

        -have only 1 gram of sugar per serving.

         -have no artificial colors or flavors.

-are made with whole grain oats and is a good source of fiber. The 2005 Dietary Guidelines recommend that Americans consume three or more servings of whole grain each day (for a total of at least 48 grams of whole grain.)

-are easily managed by little fingers and helps develop motor skills because the O’s are easy to pick up, firm and resist crumbling.

-are easy for little fingers to hold.

-provide at least 10% of the Daily Value of 14 essential vitamins and minerals, including iron and folic acid.

-taste great and is fun to eat!

Try this helpful finger food link:  http://www.babycenter.com/0_finger-foods_105.bc

Ok, so maybe this is a little dramatic…With all the suffering in the world even the worst of aliments pale in comparison. But pain is subjective and really just a matter of perspective. So, this is mine and this is how it continues to warp.

My son exists in limbo, somewhere in a realm akin to Lassie or Geppetto’s Pinocchio. While he is a real boy, there are only a handful of ways you can truly interact with him and most of the time you can’t be sure if he is with you or just amused by movements and sound.

The second thing my son gave me was this cold. We woke up one morning and found him even more pink and chubby than usual. He was really uncomfortable and visibly disgusted with his fist big cold. After suffering a few days with the fever and snot, he passed it on. In fact he gave it to my entire family and all their friends and significant others. I’ve never seen a common cold spread so uncommonly. It was like wildfire, leaving death and destruction in its wake. Or at least bed full’s of groaning adults and empty bottles of ‘Tussin scattered about.

Now, I’m pretty sure I’ve never gotten the flu from my dog, and I’m damn sure I’ve never caught a thing from a hand carve wooden puppet; even one that can dance and sing. So this whole episode really caught me off guard.

As I lay their sucking breath through clogged pipes, I realized I’m pretty damn high maintenance when it comes to relationships. I need feed back, validation, or at the very least a high five. I revel in the happy mess of family and favor deep friendships over casual acquaintances. So bonding with my boy is my minds single anticipation. This however was not the type of connection I was thinking of.

For now, I will take what I can get. If tossing around in bed, feverish and broken for a week allows me to see the world though his little peepers, then so be it. I apologize to the rest of you; collateral damage to my cause. You took one for the team, and in my twisted way I am grateful.

By the way, the first thing my son gave me was a new sense of vitality and an eagerness for the days ahead. I guess this is just another example of that gift springing to life.