Give Me Liberty, Or Give Me Hunger

There was a time when Joy and her high chair were on very good terms.

Joy cheerfully got into her chair for meals, and the straps kept her in place while the tray caught anything she happened to spill. Life was good.

Of course, the only constant in life is change, especially when your life includes a toddler. Joy has discovered that if she sits in a regular chair, she can get up and leave any time she wants to. Suddenly being strapped into a high chair is much less appealing to her (though her parents still think it's an excellent idea).

We can still occasionally persuade Joy to sit in her high chair if she really, REALLY wants the food we're offering, but most of the time she'd rather go without than surrender her liberty. That's very American of her and all, but the idea of feeding her lasagna or pureed peaches without a tray makes me shudder. I know she's got to start eating at the table sometime, but that doesn't make the transition easy for me.