the lesson of LIFE

From the time I was young, my parents taught me that you don't let anything go to waste...especially food. We were required to sit at the table until all of our food was gone, because we weren't allowed to waste food.
I remember one incident in particular when I was young, my mom made clam chowder...which I could not stand. (I don't know if was the texture of the clams, but ewww!) Anyway, my mom told me that I had to sit at the table until it was gone. I don't know how long it took me, but it seemed like HOURS. I complained to my mom that my stomach hurt. I didn't feel good, but I was told to finish. I finally swallowed my last bite, stood up, ran 6 feet to the kitchen sink and watched my dinner go down the drain. I swore I would NEVER do that to one of my own kids.
Fast forward 19 years....
Picture Daxton at the breakfast table polishing off his first bowl of "Cinnamon Life"and asking for a second. I pour him another bowl of cereal and after a few minutes he decides that playing around is more fun than finishing his breakfast. I let Dax know that if he doesn't finish his breakfast he will not be able to accompany us to the bus stop to send Kambry off to school. He continues to play and play. Finally it is time for us to go and he still has not eaten. I take Kambry and Jace and head out the door. (The bus stop is only two houses down the street.) Daxton comes outside screaming like a banshee. I am surprised the neighbors haven't opened their doors. We send Kambry off to school and head back to the house. I set Daxton back in his seat and tell him to finish his breakfast, or he won't be able to go to preschool...(I'll show him). He finally tells me that he will, but he wants help. So I sit next to him and proceed to spoon feed him soggy, mushy Life cereal. He takes one bite, gags and spits it back out on the spoon. I tell him he needs to eat it, so I put it back in his mouth. He promptly gags and I watch as his entire breakfast ends up back in his bowl of unfinished cereal.
Lesson learned!