The most important meal of the day

This is the face that awaits me every morning at 7:15 when I come downstairs from my shower. Typically this look is accompanied by a lot of whining and complaining. You see, there is not a food on the planet (except m&m's) that will satisfy K in the morning. In short, there is always an issue with whatever food is prepared for her. It doesn't matter how many mealtime options are presented to her or how accommodating Mr. Crackers & I are, there is always a problem with breakfast.

Here is how a typical morning goes in the Cracker household:

Mr. Crackers: Hey guys, what do you want for breakfast this morning?

K: What are our options?

Mr Crackers: Umm, let's see - you can have pancakes (straight from the freezer - thank you very much), cereal, or peanut butter toast.

C: I'll have pancakes please & a yogurt drink. (C's easy-going attitude toward food is the only reason I consent to eat meals with my children. He is happy to eat almost anything you give him. He can also get through an entire meal without bursting into tears or whining. The same cannot be said for my youngest child, who feels like a meal is not a meal unless served with a great deal of whine. )

K: silence...

Mr. Crackers: K, what do you want to eat?

K: more silence....

Mr. Crackers (more loudly this time): K, what do you want to eat?

K: What are my options?

Mr. Crackers tries to calmly repeat the options he already mentioned above and waits again for a response only to be faced once more with absolute silence...

Mr. Crackers: K, WHAT DO YOU WANT TO EAT???

K: Umm... cereal.

Mr. Crackers: Are you sure?

K: Yes, I want cereal Daddy.

Mr. Crackers then starts to prepare C's breakfast, but before putting the cereal in the bowl for K , he'll shout over to her again to verify what she wants.

Mr. Crackers: K, are you sure you want cereal?

K: Yes Daddy, cereal.

Mr. Crackers: With milk in it?

K: Yes, I want milk in it.

Mr. Crackers then finishes pulling everything together & puts breakfast on the table just as I am entering the kitchen. I call the kids to breakfast (at least twice -since I am usually ignored the first time). Our two hooligans then stumble into the kitchen and head for the table. At this point, the same thing always happens as K gets to her place at the table (no matter what choice she has made that morning).

K: I don't want cereal for breakfast!! (usually this statement is made in a high pitched whine that only dogs & parents can hear). You put milk in it!! I don't want milk! I WANT SOMETHING ELSE TO EAT!

I try to shoot a look over to Mr. Crackers that says "Holy Heck - here we go again", but he is too busy getting himself ready for work. You can sense the desperation as he tries to leave the house as quickly as possible before the whining can pierce both of his eardrums. Really, I can't blame him. If I could, I'd exit the house with him.

Me (as patiently as I can manage before caffeine hits my bloodstream): K, you are the one that picked cereal for breakfast. Please eat some of it.

K: I DON'T WANT CEREAL! I WANT SOMETHING ELSE!

Me (desperately wishing I was still upstairs): What do you want? What will you eat?

K: What are my options??

And so... the process starts again. Knowing that the whining will get exponentially worse the more hungry she becomes is really the only reason that Mr. Crackers & I participate in the daily ritual of torture known in many other households as breakfast.

Once we finally settle on something that she is willing to eat - she gulps down about 3 or 4 bites before declaring that she's full. We then head upstairs to get ready for the day & C heads out the door for school.

Without fail, 15 minutes after C is gone, K looks me in the eye & says. "Mommy, I'm hungry. What are my options?"