The past few days Ayden Jane has not eaten much during the day. She has been so into playing and having fun that she has not asked for food and has even left food on her plate...
I would say this is good except that it seems to have sparked PWS by night. She headed straight for the kitchen around 5 this morning when she woke. Usually she comes in and crawls into bed with us between 4 and 5 and she is always very hungry for breakfast when we get up. This morning she brought me a powerade zero (Noah's favorite) to open for her... I went to investigate.
She had helped herself to 2 zone perfect bars. I am thinking that is not going to feel good later today and she is correct she needs to drink some liquid!!
We 'caught' her on this path before but it happened when she played hard, skipped nap and dropped off to sleep early without even eating supper. I had no doubt she was hungry and we talked about waking Mom or Dad to help her get a good snack.
Although talking about it this time will happen too, I believe we will be installing a lock on the pantry. I have mixed feelings about it. In some ways it seems cruel or like caving into PWS. We have beaten this thing in so many ways! On the other hand, I know that I sleep like log and Ayden Jane could eat her way through the entire kitchen before I woke up.
I would talk about it more but honestly I am just too mad/sad. Sometimes I hate reality...
I would say this is good except that it seems to have sparked PWS by night. She headed straight for the kitchen around 5 this morning when she woke. Usually she comes in and crawls into bed with us between 4 and 5 and she is always very hungry for breakfast when we get up. This morning she brought me a powerade zero (Noah's favorite) to open for her... I went to investigate.
She had helped herself to 2 zone perfect bars. I am thinking that is not going to feel good later today and she is correct she needs to drink some liquid!!
We 'caught' her on this path before but it happened when she played hard, skipped nap and dropped off to sleep early without even eating supper. I had no doubt she was hungry and we talked about waking Mom or Dad to help her get a good snack.
Although talking about it this time will happen too, I believe we will be installing a lock on the pantry. I have mixed feelings about it. In some ways it seems cruel or like caving into PWS. We have beaten this thing in so many ways! On the other hand, I know that I sleep like log and Ayden Jane could eat her way through the entire kitchen before I woke up.
I would talk about it more but honestly I am just too mad/sad. Sometimes I hate reality...
Cruel for you.
ReplyDeleteBut not for her : actually, it will help her because she will feel relieved about not being able to get the food she wants to.
It's more cruel for you than it is for her.
And if she needs a padlock, then be it.
Really. You are not a "better mom" because you can do it without padlock, and you are not a "bad mom" because you need to install it.
If she suffers from her foraging at night and puts her health/safety in danger, does it really worth the energy to wonder if you are a bad mom because you put a padlock ?
And a bad mom for who ? For yourself ? For your neighbors ? For someone who wants to thick every checkbox and every checkbox has to be perfectly thicked ?
AJ's health and safety come first and foremost.
If she were needing a holter 3 times a week, you wouldn't wonder if you were a bad mom by putting this holter three times a week : you would do it because she needs it.
Same for the padlock. If Aden Jane needs a padlock in order not to forage food at night, then she needs this padlock in order not to forage. There is absolutely no reason to beat yourself up about it, as you want to provide her health and safety.
You are not guilty because AJ has PWS. As PWS means insatiable appetite, it may require to persons having the padlock on fridge and pantries.
It doesn't preclude AJ to success at school and in the community. She can be a super AJ, do the best artcraft, be an excellent singer...
But she needs to be healthy and safe to succeed in her life : without health and safety, she won't manage to nothing.
If it means padlock on fridge and pantries, be it. It doesn't change your daughter as a person. It doesn't change you as a person.
It's like a diabetic who needs his insulin to be well.
Is it cruel to inject insulin to a diabetic ?
No worries, I have no concern about me as a parent or think less of Ayden Jane. It was actually pretty amazing that all she went for were the protein bars. Skipped right past the chips and assorted junk food. Just liked living in the pretend world where Ayden Jane was not affected by such things...
ReplyDeleteFunny, she did not eat much breakfast, skipped snack at school and has refused to eat lunch today. She chose to go for a bike ride instead... and only wanted some milk after a 2 mile ride. So, I am convincing her to eat by day and keeping her from eating at night. Well, not really night. Just that she is ready for breakfast at 5 and I am not so inclined until 7!
Instead, living in a pretend world leads to more pain when we have to face the reality.
ReplyDeleteLike a person who smokes because she claims it will solve her problems. Whereas she creates herself another problem and still having the first one.
It's not a "being less of AJ". But there is no reason to worry about the padlock itself.
Maybe you can divide her breakfast in two serves, one small serve at 5 and one small serve at 7, instead of having a "normal" breakfast at 7.
Maybe she is tired because she is hungry so early, so she wakes up early, but during the day, she is too tired to eat.
Maybe increase proteins in her diet.
Maybe you have cut down too much on starch food so she becomes too hungry at night. You know as well, even better than me, that if you cut down too much on starch, you are hungry more quickly.
Just some ideas. Maybe it won't solve everything.