joys of parenting: that boy is hangry

urban dictionary defines hangry as the state of being so hungry that it causes you to become angry, frustrated, or in some cases....both. while i don't always go to urban dictionary for an accurate account of a word.....this one is spot on.

the boy is growing. and fast! i have been using this word, "hangry", to describe the way he's been acting lately. have you ever seen a really well behaved boy turn monster in the blink of an eye? hangry! have you ever seen a boy tell his mommy that he loves her so much right before taking a chomp at her arm? hangry! how about a full on melt down cured by a pbj? hangry! the boy has a case of the hangries.

now, i want to clear one thing up....i am not starving my child! he eats. at this point i am positive that he eats more than i do.  he eats at least half of our grocery bill. the problem is that he's a snacker. he would rather sit on the couch with a bowl full of snacks than sit at the table and eat a five corse meal. and he's not getting the proper fulfillment from all this snacking. i am also well aware that we (me and the hubs) are the source of this snack attack problem. we too are snackers. we come from a long line of snackers....but the empty snacking is stoping here! starting today! the boy started the morning with a nice breakfast, followed by a snack at the park of watermelon, apples, and peas....then he ate an enormous lunch and has quietly settled down for a nap. we have had a full belly all day and no freak outs or melt downs! none. not one. so far my theory is correct and working.

i am feeling the need to interject another disclaimer here....i know that this is no new information. as a matter of fact i am sure that there are plenty of moms reading this thinking "no shit....feed your kid healthy food." that's a no brainer. and we do. in general, he's an amazing eater. he loves veggies and fruits and meats. he eats a very balanced, adventurous, and well rounded diet for a boy his age.  he just had his order backwards....snacking before meals instead of after them.

so in the endless journey of trying to find peace and balance with a two and a half year old, i will try just about anything....and this time around it's finding the cure for the case of the hangries.