The Vegetable Battle

I predict three years from now Amanda and I are going to look back at these early posts and laugh and laugh and laugh. As not-quite-yet-parents our thoughts, plans, and philosophy on raising children are still more theoretical than practical, and I admit possibly naïve.

For example Amanda and I began discussing how to insure our child will eat (and hopefully enjoy) a wide range of foods after a friend's three-year old daughter declared she would no longer eat vegetables. Our immediate reaction was that though this seems to be a problem for every other parent in the world, for many reasons, we do not foresee this being a major battle we will need to wage. First, as a member of a vegetarian family our kid is going to be pretty hungry if it doesn’t eat vegetables. I realize I could be underestimating a child’s willingness to partake in a hunger strike if it ends in a diet of macaroni & cheese and vegan cupcakes (trust me, vegan cupcakes are the best). Second, we eat a wide range of foods prepared many different ways. We hope this variety will help our child discover what foods it likes and tolerate those it likes less. Third, we are good cooks. Fourth, we cook primarily from scratch. Prepackaged foods and fast food are full of sodium and fats that provide instant gratification. If I eat many of these meals I find it is more difficult to appreciate the more subtle taste of vegetables. Fifth, we eat probably a little healthier than the average person, but do not feel guilty about the less healthy things we eat in moderation. I think we have a healthy attitude toward food that hopefully our child will emulate. Finally, as early as possible we plan to involve the kid and its opinions in meal planning and preparation.

I am guessing (and hoping) as most people approach parenthood they think and discuss how they are going to deal with future problems. Going the extra step and recording those ideas in a public forum seems like a good and bad thing. We may be setting ourselves up for many “I told you that would never work”, but we may also have a helpful resource of the ideal choices we would make as parents when not burdened by lack of sleep, frustration, and desperation.