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A Little Something in My Eye

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     The last time I went to Tennessee to visit my son and his family I had a secret agenda. I wanted to find something I could make that my grandson Brayden would eat. Brayden has a narrow band of foods that he chooses to eat. I know this is not unusual for children. He eats well but doesn't experiment with new foods very often. His sister Tenley will eat anything you are eating.
      Brayden likes hot dogs, chicken nuggets, bread sticks, pizza, macaroni and cheese and also Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal. He does use milk on the cereal but doesn't use condiments with anything else. No ketchup, no mustard, not even sauces? He really knows what he wants and wants it just the way he likes it.
      I made it my goal to find something I could make that he would eat. I was armed with my wife's favorite cookbook, Farm Journals Best Ever Recipes from 1977 and picked some simple items to make. I felt sure that I would make that special food he couldn't resist. First I made Banana Bread. This from a Genius Kitchen Recipe. I even made it into Banana Bread French Toast. Still no luck. He wasn't interested. Curiously his Dad said if I would have made it into muffins he probably would have eaten it. Next I tried one of my favorite recipes, Grandma's Soft Sugar Cookies. Again he didn't want any. His father made him take one. Now when Ty and Samantha and I try a new food we always wait until all have tried it, then rate it 1 to 10. Brayden took one bite of the cookie and said " I give it a 5 ". He didn't eat anymore. Finally I made a simple beef stew with biscuits. Again he wouldn't eat the stew. He did however eat the biscuits. I considered this a minor win. Before my visit was over I tried a couple of other things including a Roasted Chicken Noodle Soup we really like. No dice, he wouldn't bite.
       Brayden is a caring and thoughtful young man. When his mother was writing Thanksgiving ideas on her kitchen chalk board she asked all of us what we were thankful for. Brayden without looking up from his electronic game said "I'm Thankful Jesus Died for Our Sins". Nothing more had to be said. When I was preparing to go home at the end of my visit I walked by where he and Tenley were playing with their electronics and said, one of these days Brayden, I am going to make something you'll want to eat. On my way back from the laundry room he said, " Papa Rex", slid off of his stool and stepped over to me. He threw his arms around me and said "I love you". I squeezed back then hurried off to the kitchen. You see, I had a little something in my eye I needed to take care of.
 







Comments

  1. UnknownJanuary 8, 2018 at 6:00 PM

    This is so sweet <3 Brayden will always be your biggest critic but he definitely loves you!

    ReplyDelete
  2. hughesfamilyJanuary 8, 2018 at 7:30 PM

    ❤️❤️. This is precious.

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownJanuary 9, 2018 at 8:40 AM

    Thank you for sharing, great story

    ReplyDelete

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