This past summer I took my almost 2-year-old son to the park to enjoy some time outside since he'd been at home with me and my wife for months. I made sure to bring plenty of snacks but he was having such a good time running around and exploring that he couldn't be bothered with stopping to eat no matter how hard I tried to sneak nibbles into him. As it got closer to lunchtime, I knew the clock was ticking til meltdown and kept trying to steer him in the direction of home. But it was too late. He instantly was full-on hangry and screaming and I was struggling to get him to walk or get in the stroller. I became a little self-conscience, wondering how people in the park would view us since he sounded like I was torturing him as I tried again to get him to eat some crackers. But thankfully I got a bunch of reassuring nods from other parents in the park with small children who completely understood that the struggle is real. And one woman who saw us just yelled out "Don't worry. You're doing a great job!"

So I'll say it to you. Don't worry. You're doing a great job.