Dear Abby

Dear Abby,

This past week, I realized my older son, who is bright and perfectionist, is being obsessed about food daily. He is only 6 1/2 years old, 50 inches height, and weigh 65 pounds, stocky with heavy bones. I have watched what I put it for his variety of lunch: sandwich, fruits or vegetables, and fruit drinks.

On the same week, I received a note from school's cafeteria saying that I owe them a money. It left me puzzled because I have been faithful for making my children's lunches every single morning. Once I found it out, I confronted my son with two question, "Can you explain me why do I owe a school lunch money when I made you lunches? 'Did you buy lunches without my permission ? (Though, he occasionally got chances to buy lunches with my knowledge.) First, he would not reply to me until he gave it up when I waited for his answer. He admitted that he threw his home made lunches away. From that point, I gave him a grounded for NOT allowing him to buy lunches until the end of the month. He apologized and accepted the consequence.

However, three days later, I received an email from his teacher stating that he took another student's snack. She did suggest me to leave extra food for snack which I did. By the time, we arrived home from work/school, I discovered he did not eat his Fruit Snack. I commended him to give me valid reason for taking someone's else lunch instead of his own snack. His response was, "My friend gave me sugar cookies. I like those cookies." He knows that the school does not allowed to have sweet food since the school cafeteria also had adopted to provide healthy food for students.

Last, I just spoke with his teacher at the convention center. She stated that she overheard him talking to himself in a classroom that " I am so sick of my mother giving me the same lunch. " It was not true that I gave him same lunches. She and I agreed that I gave her a privilege to talk with him because I knew he would listen to her better than me as a mom.

Just this evening, we had a chicken noodle soup, a stalk of celery with peanut butter, and a small bowl of fruit cocktail. At first, he refused to eat either stalk of celery nor a bowl of fruit cocktail. I honesty was puzzled why there was no celery with peanut better in his lunch box today. He admitted he gave it to his friend at school. So in order, I made him to eat either a stalk of celery or fruit cocktail. He was struggled for the first few minutes until he accepted my order to start off a small bowl of fruit cocktail.

Of course, I had shared my concern with his teacher and my older son that I worry about his obsession over the food and his future bad habits. Now, I am in desperate of giving me ideas on how to convince my older son to accept eating healthy food.

Concerned Mom