Dinnertime roller coaster

The scene:

Henry is crying over cheese on his plate.
Henry hits my hand.
I'm holding back tears of frustration as I calmly ask him to try his food.
Henry screams at us to go away; he must eat dinner alone. (We don't go away.)
He calms down and eats his raw carrots.

"I'm sorry I just hit you, Mom."
"Thank you for saying that, Henry."

He takes a bite of his sandwich, which includes a new flavor - almond butter.
He gags, spits the sandwich into his hand.

"I'm sorry, guys. I'm a little busy just choking."

Keith and I stifle giggles. Keith helps him clean his hand.

"This is not my favorite."

We smile.