At my house, it’s probably not much different from yours. At every meal (or almost every meal), there’s always one of the kids (or even all of them) who pouts at their plate—if it isn’t a full-blown tantrum—or who, in the middle of the meal, almost throws up if they realize they’ve swallowed a vegetable. You know, there’s a very popular commercial that’s been airing for a number of years now… “Is that even a vegetable?” I’m sure the people who created it secretly came to spy on me at home.
I’m not saying my kids never eat vegetables—far from it! My kids love carrots: raw; broccoli: cooked with a little spice; green beans: cooked with vinegar and salt; cucumber: raw; beets: only when pickled… and so on. In short, every vegetable has its own little something—you just have to know how to prepare it. But let’s be clear: I can’t always make vegetables exactly the way they want them. Soup—well, it has vegetables in it; spaghetti sauce too (because, yes, they also complain about the spaghetti sauce); and even pizza.
According to some studies by our dear government, it takes an average of 10 to 15 tries before a child gets used to the taste of a certain food. I get the impression it’s more like 200 times in my house. No, I don’t always hide the vegetables I serve them, because kids need to learn to eat them. They have the right to refuse to eat, but they’re making their own choice, and I don’t offer anything other than the meal on the table. If they don’t want to eat, too bad—they’ll be hungry. I used to worry a lot about this. I eventually realized that a child won’t let themselves starve. It’s hard at first, and you worry. I won’t lie—it took me three kids (soon to be four) and five years to get there.
I still understand and share your frustration. You know, when you push yourself to make a really great meal and spend an hour of your day in the kitchen, but in the end, mealtime turns into World War IV because… oops… there are tomatoes in the meal. When that same drama happens often—too often—you end up wanting to give up and switch to ready-made meals or fast food. I’m telling you, don’t give up!!! You’re amazing, and you’re shaping the adults of tomorrow who will be open-minded and eager to try new things! I have to keep reminding myself of that, too… so go, go, go—we can do this!