Terribly Two

"I don't like mummy! I want snack! I can eat snack!"

That's the response I got from Changunnie when I told her "That's enough snack for the day". She did not eat well at all over the weekend. I tried her food and they tasted perfectly fine. I was happy to eat her left over pasta as my lunch (I spent an hour to make the sauce!) She rejected her lunch and dinner but always wanted to have something substantial around 10pm.

Then, I realise it was grandpa feeding her snacks throughout the day. The list was actually pretty impressive:

- Milano cookies
- cheese (my precious 4 year Comte!!)
- banana chips, dried cranberry and blueberry mix
- mini wheetabix with fruits and nuts
- cup cakes
- ice cream

No wonder she's not eating. On Sunday, I finally decided to put on my dictator hat. No food between lunch and 8:30pm. By then, she was hungry and ate the entire bowl of rice and Miyuk Gook (Korean seaweed soup) within minutes.

The toughest thing of raising a kid with grandparents around is the grandparents always have a big soft spot for the little ones. The little ones may be young but definitely not ignorant. Changunnie knows grandma and I are the disciplinarians. Her tactic is to grab grandpa or daddy into the kitchen and quietly asks for snack. I find it difficult to enforce my rules. On the one hand, I want the grandparents (which include both sides) to know that I appreciate what they are doing for Changunnie and I respect them. On the other hand, I need Changunnie to know who's words are final. A very fine balance to strike.....