The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Kids can be incredibly variable with their food; some days eating very little, and other days eating as if hibernation season is around the corner.

Last week, Laurel knocked off a prehibernation-like lunch, including half a tuna melt, a couple of raisins, a few pieces of stinky (bleu) cheese (pilfered from my salad), one kiwi, half a pear, a couple of chunks of avocado, and two rice cakes. We joked about how she was just like The Very Hungry Caterpillar, which currently is one of her favorite books. This beautifully illustrated classic is a must have; in addition to offering a means for kids to learn about counting, food (Laurel of course goes nuts on the junk food bonanza page), and the cycle of life, more recently the book has helped us teach Laurel about being more aware of her body. Specifically, if she’s on a food bender, demanding more, we ask her whether she’s really hungry or if her belly is already full. And now she’ll pause for a moment, sometimes rub her belly or wiggle side to side, then tell us that she is, in fact, still hungry, or that she’s full and doesn’t want to get a stomach ache like the very hungry caterpillar.