As a new mom I remember being flummoxed by small children who wilted every day at about 4 o'clock. I am embarrassed to realize how long it took me to catch on, considering the consistency of the problem.

 

Finally I was with another, more experienced mother and her children, when she whipped out a snack at 3 o'clock. We were at a park, so she had to have anticipated their needs. She unpacked crackers with peanut butter, apples, and watermelon. She even brought enough for my kids too, which was helpful considering that I had skipped the chapter called "Preempting Your Toddler's Mid Afternoon Meltdown with Food". It worked. All of the children sailed through the rest of the afternoon. I sometimes think of that friend when I am savvy enough to pack carrots and nuts for a trip to the playground. Because no matter how well I fed the fam on Tuesday, they seem to get hungry again on Thursday. Apparently hunger is a recurring condition.

 

I appreciated this woman's acceptance of the needs of her children. They needed nourishment, not retribution.

 

One time I was with a friend whose food choices were slightly different than my own. Our combined progeny were beginning to wrangle, so we decided to redirect their mouths from screaming to chewing. She too had packed snacks, but the selection included doughnuts, soda and gummy bears. Her kids gobbled it up quickly enough, but their behavior did not calm down. It escalated. Apparently the nutritional content matters more than the amount of money spent on advertizing said snacks.

 

Last night I went to bed feeling.... empty. I could not figure out why. It had been an acceptable day, certainly nothing traumatic happened. 

 

This morning I woke up and opened the blog I subscribed to called 365Grateful. I was still not enthusiastic, but managed to click on the link to a Ted Talk about Gratitude. I watched, and felt my thirsty spirit fill up, like the paper whites on my table when I go too long without watering them.

 

Relationships need mid afternoon snacks too. The billboards on I-95 try to sell synthetic ways to add pizzazz. But for me, skimpy clothes and vodka add about as much nourishment as pop tarts. 

 

I just hope I am smart enough to pack ahead.

Gratitude
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo by Jenny Stein

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