Appropriate punishment

Palmer's day was a bit messed up today, what with the puking in the mall and then napping 2.5 hours thing.

So it was perhaps not a big shocker that he decided not to eat dinner (especially since I, um, gave him icecream when he woke up from his nap at 5pm). 

But still there are rules about having to take a bite of everything, and taking 3 bigs sips, before getting down from the table. Nothin' doin' tonight. 

What should the appropriate punishment be? Sure he was being willfull and defiant, so perhaps that warranted a time out? Perhaps I should just have ignored it? But then he had no lunch and had even said he was hungry, just did not want pork. Should I send him to his room without dinner? That seems cruel. Spanking is of course out of the question. And although it is not beyond me to bribe, I was not about to give him more icecream if he took 1 bite of mashed potatoes. 

A parent's only recourse is guilt sometimes. "I cooked all this for you." But then children really are not capable of feeling guilty. Or anyhow they have no idea how they are supposed to respond to feelings of guilt. 

I ended up making him eggs. And he ate them all. 

Now if only he would go to bed. 

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