Gent and Tim's Lunchtime experience

The story that follows is one of the first I was told when I returned from a night away with my young women. I asked Tim if he would write it down for me so I could journal it. He was wonderful enough to do that.

In contrast to Zion who will eat anything (and lots of it), Ellie and Gent have become very picky eaters. We recently decided to crack down and introduce them to new food items. Both have resisted, but Gent has had the most difficulty giving up his coveted peanut butter and jelly sandwich at lunch. Yesterday the battle was on. I told the kids it was time for lunch and they of course requested the usual “peanut butter and jelly sandwich with the crust cut off.” My attempt to explain to them why it was not a good idea to have PBJ sandwiches for lunch after having had pancakes for breakfast was met with blank stares. Finally I declared, “We’re having ham and cheese sandwiches.” Ellie was actually excited about the idea but admitted that she had eaten all of the yellow cheese (cheddar) the previous day. Undaunted, I told them that we would just be having ham sandwiches then. Gent appeared to be in denial and kept repeating his request for a PBJ until I pulled the mayonnaise out of the fridge, then he lost it. “Noooo, what’s that,” he moaned with his head thrown back and tears beginning to form. “It’s uhh,…Monster sauce,” I said, hoping that his monster fetish would peak his interest. He didn’t buy it. In desperation, he began suggesting alternatives, “How about jelly toast? How about raisin bread?” But I was firm. His wailing continued through the blessing on the food after which he shoved the sandwich aside and began eating the oranges I had included on the plate. Gentle persuasion quickly deteriorated into “Gent, take a bite of your sandwich or you’re going to bed.” After he took a microscopic nibble from the corner, I told him to take a real bite. He reluctantly obliged, and once the taste began to settle in his mouth, an amazing thing happened. His scowl disappeared, the tears dried up, the sun came through the window, and music started playing from somewhere. If you have seen the movie Ratatouille, just think about the food critic’s change in expression at the end of the movie when he eats the title dish. He practically ripped the sandwich from my hands and began devouring it. Normally very talkative, he silently savored the sandwich with a look that can only be described as reverent amazement. A few minutes later he asked in astonishment, “Is this candy?” “No Gent, it’s just a ham sandwich.” A few more bites. “I like ham sandwiches,” he finally declared. Victory!