It normally happens on a day just like today. The sun is shining; the birds are singing; and all is right with your little world.
You open the fridge and notice a small carton of strawberry yogurt – a healthy, delicious little indulgence. And just as you settle on the couch to enjoy your snack, it happens.
The Treat Burglar appears.
Now there are a few things I signed up for when I became a mom. I’ve traded sleeping in for… well, not sleeping at all, I’ve swapped patios for play dates, and have vague memories of pleasant, easy going shopping excursions.
But there’s one thing I didn’t explicitly agree to – even though I definitely should have known better – and that’s sharing my food. My toast. My French fries. My ice cream. Everything is shared. Or stolen, I suppose.
It’s not like I don’t provide goodies for my boys – I continually offer them the same breakfast, lunch and dinner that I am eating, and am satisfied that I provide healthy choices and a variety of foods. (Sometimes the choices aren’t as healthy, but everything in moderation, right?) Yet for some reason, food just doesn’t seem to taste as good unless it’s off mommy’s plate.
And so almost every time I have anything remotely delicious – I generally have to dole out most of it to two whining little boys. Orange juice. Banana bread. Even broccoli, for crying out loud! Can you believe The Treat Burglar swiped a floret of broccoli?
Now don’t get me wrong – I’m not selfish; I am thrilled that my sons, who are normally picky eaters, are happily downing quality calories. But sometimes I think, “Why can’t I enjoy an uninterrupted meal? Why can’t I have my cake… and eat it too?!”
Then I feel incredibly guilty because moms shouldn’t feel this way; we should happily sacrifice anything for our child, and that includes cinnamon cookies and shrimp marinara.
So I’ve started to hide my treats. I crouch behind furniture to savour a gummy worm. I pour juice into a striped glass so they can’t tell what’s inside. I cough while opening the fridge, carefully picking grapes straight from the bowl.
Anything, but anything, to avoid The Treat Burglar.
Surely I’m not the only one who feels this way. Please tell me there are other mothers out there who cringe when their child sticks a finger in their banana pudding. And maybe it’s not your kid. Maybe it’s your boyfriend, or spouse, who is The Treat Burglar.
What food are you unwilling to share?
Mangoes! Love, love mangoes. My almost 5yr old and now my 1 1/2 yr loves them too. Don't get me wrong, I am very happy they will eat it. But sometimes I just want to sit down to enjoy a juicy mango and both of them crowd me demanding some. Not only that, they fight as to whose turn it is for the next bite. I have threatened to eat it when they are in bed.
LENA!!! I totally feel your pain!! Erin is exactly the same way! Even at mealtime when we have the exact same meal as her, she insists on eating from our plate instead of her's! And God forbid we eat something different, then she won't touch her meal at all. We've resorted to wolfing down our food so that only her food is left to eat. Not sure if the indigestion is worth it! And we wait until she's gone to bed before we bust out the ice cream and cookies for ourselves :)
That whole feeling guilty because Mama's are supposed to happily sacrifice anything for their children is a big load of hooey! Propaganda to keep us feeling like we have to be perfect in every single way. Now that I have that rant off my chest; yes the Peanut will happily share anything that I happen to have sitting in front of me with little to no complaints and often with a politely phrased, "would you like to share that with me, please?" Since the Bean came into the picture (and the need to keep track of every little carb in order to control the Gestational Diabetes) I've had to say, "no" more often than I'm sure she is happy about.And yes I find myself pouring my alotted 1/2 cup of chocolate milk into a coffee cup to avoid detection
Yes – I know exactly what you mean…my kids LOVE what I'm eating – yet the time when I make extra (thinking they'll take some) – they are not at all interested…and I hate eating extra food LOL!Hubby and I also hid the M&M pretzels from the kiddies – they are allowed treats like chips and cookies – but we try to minimize candy and chocolates…so it is more a "do as I say, not as I do" thing!Oh – they know they are not allowed tea or coffee (because then they won't grow tall) or chili (because it will hurt their stomach)…so sometimes – "conveniently" – the item we don't want to share has tea or chili in it (guilty mom secret!)
Hahahaha. I have to hide everything! I sneak the chocolate, or the brownies, or the potato chips or the juice….you get the picture! Otherwise Charlotte starts howling for some. Of course, this all makes me realize just how bad my diet really is! I am a sugar addict!Janice
You gals are hilarious! SO HAPPY it's not just me!
I totally understand. My 2-year-old does the same thing. He won't eat his food but as soon as I sit down with a plate, here he comes! I loved reading this. Even when my kids eat and are supposed to be full, they STILL come after me! I understand. I'm gonna have to try your tactics! LOL
I know what you're going through – my two boys want to eat every single thing that I'm eating (when I'm not at the dinner table, that is). They could each have a huge dinner and yogurt/fruit for dessert, but when I crack open a yogurt for myself they both come slithering over to mooch some of mine. "Mooch" was actually a common nickname for my 5-year old for many years! He has recently discovered pop and my husband and I can no longer enjoy a can of the good stuff when he's around. If we tell him that he shouldn't drink it, his immediate response is "well you're drinking it, why can't I?". I usually end up mumbling something about his growth (he's got the 'short' genes against him) or his teeth falling out, while pouring him a small cup.I try to look at this in a positive way – your kids see you eating broccoli, oatmeal, fish and other healthy foods, they will follow suit. I know that is why I have absolutely no food issues with my boys – they will eat anything and everything, including all the healthy stuff that most kids won't touch with a 10-foot pole.Let's embrace this learning stage for our little ones, enjoying shared licks of our ice cream cones and bites of our cookies with them.And when feeling desperate, there's nothing at all wrong with hiding behind the fridge door, muffling the sound of candy wrappers, or waiting for the kids to go to bed in order to get that sweet fix!
LOL I actually do crouch down behind the counter to enjoy a chocolate, and Cheetos!
I'm the treat burglar : ( John HATES when I eat his food. He'd much rather buy me my own than share his – mostly because I end up eating more than half of his. But I don't do it intentionally. When he asks if I want something I genuinely don't, until I see it in his hands. Then I can't help myself. OMG, I'm worse than a child : /PS – I also hide my snacks (from all the boys). If I don't, they'll be gone before I even get one. Hey, it's survival of the fittest at our house.
Oh, me toooo! I can't eat anything yummy around my daughter! She even wants my boring, plain oatmeal when she has delicious apple cinnamon! Don't get me started on the chocolate pop tarts, either! The worst part is she has a peanut allergy, and all I want now is peanut butter everything and I can't have it!
This is way too funny – Yes, Lena – these girls are cracking me up too.Just tonight at dinner, my daughter hovered over me begging for my "crispy bits" of my Shake-n-Bake chicken… Grrrrr – that's the best part and she had already gobbled up her own… And guilt… I just could not sit and enjoy those crispy bits knowing she was "dying" for them. I caved and gave them to her.
Sorry I haven't been reading your blog, I've abandoned RSS readers in favour of Twitter. You should set up an account solely for tweeting blog posts. You will have at least one loyal follower. Anyways, this story is hilarious. I'm gonna check for half-eaten nutella sandwiches under your couch the next time I see you.
OMG I feel your pain! My nephew Aikam won't eat anything on his plate…but as soon as he sees someone else eating something, he'll be like "I'm hungry…I want some!" lol Cute story! xoxo
Hahahah!! I have resorted to standing at the kitchen counter and eating my breakfast/lunch/dinner…after the kiddies have eaten, ofcourse! That way tiny little fingers can't get into my plate! :-D My DH laughed at me the other night, when he saw me doing this…but a mama's gotta eat – preferably in peace and quiet! Hey, it's standing at the counter or eating in the laundry room…but I spend way too much time there already! :-P