Thank you all for your wonderful insights and comments on our "Food Issues" post! We've been putting on our thinking caps, trying to think of a plan that will help our SuSu best cope with her anxieties and insecurites with food. We still aren't quite sure which approach we're going to take, but you all gave us some great ideas!
One thing that suddenly popped into my mind yesterday is that SuSu's food issues seemed to resurface again about three weeks ago. And three weeks ago is when she started preschool. Ah Ha!! This might explain why her insecurities are suddenly coming to the surface again!
It didn't come to my mind immediately because our SuSu loves preschool and is doing so well with it. She beams when she talks about "being a big girl" and seems to have more confidence than ever. So this is what was confusing me. If she's thriving in this new setting, where she's experiencing her first separation from both Mommy and Daddy, then why are we regressing with food?
Thankfully we just had our first post-placement visit with our social worker, who gently forewarned us that some newly adopted children begin regressing in certain areas such as food, toileting and sleep, when they start school. Even though knowing this doesn't help us figure out what to do about the food issues, it really helps us make sense of the why. And sometimes just understanding why really helps alleviate my anxiety about the food issues!
Obviously we don't want to stop preschool because SuSu would be devastated. In fact, she begs me every morning to go to "big school" with Peanut! So we'll try to give her that extra little bit of reassurance and lovin' and figure out how to keep the hour before dinner from turning into a three ring circus.
2 comments:
i kept thinking on my way home today of how paranoid i am all of the sudden that my advice was like i have it all figured out!! i sure hope i didn't come across that way! we still have food issues, but they are VERY minor compared to what they were.
that is a HUGE aha. you know what...our regression recently was whining and needing help for everything. and you know when it started? when school started. she is not in school, but our routines and household has changed signficantly. the whining is starting to decrease a littel each day. so i think your aha is HUGE and that you are right...it should gradually go away as the house feels normal again.l
Yay! Great a-ha moment!
And Flamingo - you didn't come across that way at all. I love learning about others' perspectives and ideas, even if it's not something I'm experiencing currently. In fact, your comments made me want to come check your blog to see what else you got goin' on :)
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