My Mother Opines
Jan. 12, 2009 12:40 pm
Updated: Jan. 15, 2009 2:36 pm
Last night at dinner, my mother told us (me, Tom and the our two kids) that she believed my siblings children ate more fruits and vegatables than mine did - and ours is the vegetarian family. At first I spluttered and flailed for reasons why this is not true - my mother lives in Texas and does not see the kids more than a week or two a year during which all food rules are suspended, it is winter and we are trying to eat (more) locally, she still has not gotten over the kids not liking the (wonderful!) black-eye pea and kale soup she made last week... I could go on; my powers of defensive justification are extensive.
However, my mother is often right. Her powers of observation are extensive (that is her super power). So... I am back on the 5-a-day harping my family enjoys so much. I will be counting every serving.
I think my mother's main point was that the other children eat a wider variety of fruits and vegetables. I think this may be my fault. Children eat what they are used to, and I am (or was) perfectly happy with the variety they are eating - lettuce and spinach, broccoli, tomatoes, red peppers, potatoes, carrots, bananas, oranges, grapes, apples, pears, berries and watermelon. It is winter, so we are mostly eating lettuce and spinach, broccoli, carrots, oranges, apples, pears, and frozen blueberries.
I am now on a mission to find good ways to introduce children to new foods. I have not tried the introduce-it-three-times idea. I have to admit I don't think that is going to work. ( I usually just consider myself lucky if I get to eat all the delicata squash). I am willing to try anything. Well... not anything. I am stubbornly resisting the idea to offer food rewards (dessert) for good eating habits at mealtime. This is my mother's idea.
What's this?