I feel bad, but it works and it's not lying..?

Question

My son needs to drink pediasure.

We have tried all kinds of tequniques to get him to drink it and nothing worked.

Then i told him that if he didn't drink it then the doctors will put a tube in his nose and pour the drink in it. It's lot a lie, but I feel bad that I need to do that. He remembers what a tube in the nose feels like, so it works.

Is it wrong?

Does any one have a better idea?

This is a permanant thing, so I want long term solutions without having the threaten. Praise got us nowhere.

Answer 1

Lara,

I know you feel bad, but sometimes the truth is the best way to go.  Our son also suffers a disorder where he must eat every four hours.  There are some days that he just refuses to eat.  I've told him that if he doesn't eat, I'm going to take his blood sugar - which he hates.  He understands that he has MCAD and that he has to eat, so he knows that there are times we have to take his blood sugar and he absolutely hates it.  I hate scaring him into eating.  But the reality for me is that I'd rather scare him into eating than having him go through a trip to the ER and an IV or worse.  

I think by being honest with our kids and their medical conditions - even if it is scary - it helps them to better comprehend the seriousness of their disorder.  

Good luck to you.