As Annabelle grows, she also eats more. And she has also become more aware of the differences between what is in her lunch box and what is in everyone else's.
I am very careful to not put her in the position of feeling deprived, and how we talk about her diet is an important part of that. A couple years ago we met a boy who said to Annabelle, "I'm wheat free! Are you wheat free?" And I realized that his mother had given him a gift by talking about it as a privilege. So I began to do that too.
Now, when we go grocery shopping together, Annabelle will pull a box off the shelf and ask, "Does this have Wheatfree?" And this week she asked, "Mom, could we try some NOT Wheatfree stuff?" I realized that she sometimes perceives Wheatfree as a special ingredient that certain children MUST eat. And those children are wheat-free children, like her. It is a spin on the concept that I hadn't expected.
She translates this a little differently when I use the term dairy-free. She understands that dairy is milk. But being Dairy Free is interpreted more along the lines of an extremely liberated glass of cow's milk.
Annabelle is five years old now, and putting all sorts of ideas and concepts together in new ways. Her thoughts about our cat, Francis, tell me she's thinking about herself in a new way too.
Annabelle :: Francis is a very good cat. But he also does things like normal cats.
Me :: Like what?
Annabelle :: Like eat mice. And sleep. And eat cat food. But he doesn't do something that I know normal cats do!
Me :: What's that?
Annabelle :: He doesn't drink milk!
Me :: No, he doesn't, does he?
(pause)
Me :: I think he must be dairy-free.
Annabelle :: (laughing hysterically) DAIRY FREE!!! That's funny!
Me :: Do you think he might be wheat-free too?
Annabelle :: (hardly able to catch her breath) Cat's don't eat Wheatfree!
