Monday, April 12, 2010

Because I Said Never

There was a time in the young CoffeeGal's life when she spoke of things she didn't really know.

Like that time, before children, when I knew all that was to be known about child-rearing based on years of babysitting and common sense.

Yes, as things tend to go with young mothers, I had a laundry list of things I would never do when the stork dropped my first bundle.

I was never going to spank.

Wasn't going to bribe.

I wasn't going to let my kids watch TV; fix separate (kid friendly) meals; or lose my cool when my little angel was having a fit in the check out line of the grocery store.

Nope. Not me. Never.

Of course, things change when reality hits.

Its amazing how differently life looks when you are living on 2.7 hours of sleep and haven't showered in three days.

There comes a moment when you realize that you may have picked a few battles that aren't worth the war. So, you set the kids in front of PBS (cuz at least its "educational"), while the nuggets cook in the oven, and hope that this buys a twenty-minute window to get the "real" dinner ready. Oh, and maybe a shower.

Having been in this Motherhood gig for nearly 13 years, I thought I'd learned my lesson(s).

I thought I had willingly turned in my No Never card, for the Been There, Done That.

I was wrong.

Last week I did something I've never done. Something I thought I would never do:

I bought a loaf of white sandwich bread.

I won't go into details, but a certain girl who shall remain nameless, apparently ate white bread at a friends house.

Within the first bite she understood the depth of her deprivation and firmly declared foul. She announced that she didn't like sandwiches unless they be made of non-whole grain manna.

I thought this little protest would never fly. After all her love for peanut butter would overcome! So for nearly three months I pressed into the battlefield by refusing to buy the squishy mal-nutrient carbs.

I was wrong.

She is sweet, but she's resilient. She knows what she likes.

I became desperate, because in a household where I provide three meals every. single. day. the sandwich is a staple.

However, the real shocker came the day I found myself in the grocery store reading the labels. (I looked over my shoulders, lest anybody see me with sub-nutrient food in my hands.) I was shocked! Did you know that some white breads are enriched, having no HFCS and are actually higher in fiber and protein?

How could I refuse?

She can get her whole grains in her bowl of Cheerios, and all those Pop-tarts she eats.

Just kidding.

She doesn't eat Cheerios.

So there. You know the truth. In the world of parenting I have lost the White Bread Battle, but I have gained ground in the Never-Say-Never War.

25 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh, good! I can come out of the white bread closet! The Nature's Pride brand doesn't have HFCS and ever since my kids had white bread at my mother-in-law's they've turned up their perky little noses at my whole wheat bread offerings.

Candace said...

That's awesome, Kellie.

It just so happens that I got my 2.7 hours of sleep last night and absolutely lost my cool when Zeke screamed and cried when I told him that no, he couldn't sleep on the floor, and no, I wasn't going to get him something more to drink. Grrrr....

Oh, the battles we face.

I'm just glad you came out on the other side of this one so well! :)

Carpool Queen said...

I'm so proud of you.

Becca @ My Crazy Good Life said...

I've lost that battle, too...
I tried to make my own white bread (at least it's a little healthier), buy white-wheat (I wouldn't even eat that stuff), and now I have settled on enriched whole-grain white.

I tried.

And I am so glad to know that I'm not the only Mom who has lost the battle :)

Thanks, friend.

Such The Spot said...

You totally started my day with a smile.

PS. I love a girl who knows what she wants.

Amy said...

Redeeming qualities in white bread? Fantastic! Sounds like a win-win at your house!

Anonymous said...

Your "mama" has a great big smile!!!
Life gets sweeter all the time!

Love ya,
Mom

Anonymous said...

oo yum! I love white bread :-P I grew up on it and thought wheat was disgusting because it over powered the flavor in the sandwich. Now I like both :-) Glad she found something she liked and you found one that isn't to bad for her :-)

Lori said...

I love it! And I think I can speak for all fellow moms out there by saying that we appreciate your honesty. I just posted on something similar and was encouraged that so many people would rather us be real instead of act like we feed our kids wheat germ at every meal. :)

Stephanie said...

Love the true confession. : )

The Lord Family said...

Love it!
I think one of my most important lessons that I'm still learning as a Mom is to pick which hill I want to die on.
Sometimes I come pretty close and then realize that it isn't worth fighting over.
and white bread is soooo tasty.

Gretchen said...

White whole wheat, here, baby! And guess what? This terrible mom allows pop (shudder if u must), too. Diet pop. Gasp.

Jen said...

Oh, Kellie....this had me LOL so hard I am nearly in tears. My husband and I often crack up, thinking of the things we said pre-kids. The things we'd never do...like produce toys from my purse at a restaurant to keep the young ones happy. And the no TV thing? Yeah....I think my firstborn was not even walking when I plopped his bouncy in front of Sesame Street, thinking "Well, I watched it when I was younger, and I'm pretty sure that's why I learned to read so young..."

And the white bread? Well....try living in New Orleans, where white Bunny bread is a staple. My kids think I'm being abusive when I don't come home from the grocery with the yellow package of Bunny bread...sigh...

Jen said...

I, too, was in the pre-kid judgement club. I was appalled at things my friends did all in the name of "making life easier". Tsk, tsk. Not me, I was certain.

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.

Then I had 3 kids.

And in the world of white bread, we live in New Orleans, where white Bunny bread is a staple. My kids demand it, and I, being the conscientious, buy local, think global mindset....well, I buy it.

Amazing how a few years of pregnancies, breastfeeding, and boo-boo kissing can change an old mama's heart and mind.

lisa@littlesliceoflife said...

Shhhh...my kids haven't discovered white bread yet. And would you believe I actually prefer wheat?

Rae said...

Great post! I know we have all done things we thought we would never do!!! I too buy white bread. Archer Farms' White Whole Grain Bread. It's whole grain...how bad can it really be? :)

Blue Skies said...

Never say Never!! You'll often eat those words. That said, I've had that humble pie myself. I grew up on wheat and always thought white bread makes good balls to throw at people but is too gummy for a sandwich. It's not so bad when toasted.

Sandy said...

Too funny! NEM's kids eat the enriched white bread all the time (I think because she was deprived of the white stuff as a child, she is living our her dream of giving her kids what she never got...) I grew up on it, but have eaten the whole wheat for so long that I don't really care for white except for grilled cheese sandwiches & French toast.
And you are so right that you have to pick your battles & stand firm on the ones that determine their character as well as the ones that affect others (so they don't grow up being selfish, self-centered adults but rather those willing to put others before themselves.)
And you can't really make good dough balls out of anything BUT white bread...!

Elizabeth said...

I love it! But if I share this news with my 11-year old she'll demand I do the same thing. I better check those labels. Who knew?

Gretchen said...

I was deprived of white bread as a child and now I only buy white bread, even though my kids will eat whole wheat. Bad mommy. I know it's just a marketing ploy, but I sure feel better about my bread choice when it says "white wheat". You know, looks and tastes white but has all the nutrients of its darker counterpart.

Unknown said...

The Girl read this post, and wants me to tell you that she dies NOT like Poptarts and she DOES like Cheerios and eats them nearly everyday...

She is not keen on "literary liberty".

Consider this my retraction.

His Girl said...

I was raised on wheat, love it. My mom told us that basically white bread was of the devil. My kids made it until about two years ago before I tried white in the house.

end of story.

(though, actually, we are all overly fond of about any kind of bread- sourdough, french, potato... mmmm)

stephanie j. said...

LOL!!! Nice, Kellie!

I have some "nevers": TV for more than an hour, yelling, wait til your father gets home, if you don't ___, I'll ____

Thanks for the reality check :)

mer@lifeat7000feet said...

You've gotta know when to hold 'em, and know when to fold 'em. Good call, Kellie!

Personally, I love BLT sandwiches on white bread! On Wonder white bread. Nothing better!

Cathy said...

I LOVE white bread. There, I said it. As a kid I would tear off pieces, roll them into balls, and then bite into their blessed goodness. PB&J and grilled cheese just taste better on it. But do I buy it for this house?? NEVER. My kids don't complain about it...shhh...I like to live in fantasy land.

We did eat cake for breakfast Christmas morning. And I do buy fruit-rolls or fruitsnacks every once in awhile (when they're almost free w/ coupons), so....I guess should NEVER say NEVER to the WHITE.

If I succumb to the "white", does that mean Kool-Aid is next?!