We continue to have issues getting our youngest to eat properly. While he’ll gobble up all the bread and chips you put before him, getting meat or veggies down his little throat is a real challenge.

At dinner the other day, he and his momma had a showdown over chicken. Everyone else had pretty much finished eating, but he still had a full plate of food in front of him. I suggested ice cream for dessert (always a good incentive for finishing you r dinner), but it didn’t help this time.

His momma was trying everything you can imagine, with no luck.

As I was scooping ice cream into bowls, the little guy pulled out his ace. “Ooop! I have to go potty!”

He started to get down.

His momma grabbed his arm and stopped him. “No you don’t.”

“Um, momma,” I said. “Are you sure?”

She didn’t look at me. “You finish your chicken before you go anywhere.”

“Potty! I have to go potty!”

“Then you better eat quickly.”

Wow. That’s tough. I mean, there are certain phrases in this world that I don’t argue with. “I have to go potty” is pretty much at the top of the list.

Our oldest looked over at me, wide-eyed. I shook my head and put my finger to my lips. He nodded really fast.. His little brother made a little noise that sounded like a cross between a whimper and a laugh.

“Ice cream!” I said in my cheeriest voice, carrying three dishes over.

The little guy ate his chicken, asked for ice cream, ate that – and then remembered he had to go potty. His momma was right. The potty claim had been a bluff all along.

Note to self: cross “family poker night” off the list of activities for the future.