Let me begin by saying that my intent here isn't to be "preachy" or to look down on others. I do try to look at both sides of every story, but I also call B.S. on a lot too. I know parenting is hard. I know children show resistance to our guidance. It's natural. It's also natural to want was is best for children in the long run. Parenting along the path of least resistance really isn't parenting. It sets the standard for all future interactions between parent and child. Unfortunately, this standard usually means the child doesn't learn self control or the process of thoughtful choice. Immediate gratification becomes the means to an end. Making excuses doesn't help anyone.
The article I came upon today describing a new sugar spray for vegetables set me off on this tangent. How many times have I heard a fellow mother say her child refuses to eat anything besides chicken nuggets, french fries, and pizza. I'm calling B.S. Our tastes develop and mature according to tastes we are exposed to. The truth is, the parents have not taken the time to expose the child to different foods. Truth is, you don't want to deal with the emotional outburst of a child who doesn't want to do something outside his/her comfort zone. Truth is, you don't value the importance of nutrition.
Now, to soften my tone a bit. I have not achieved perfect parent status and I never shall. Parenting is a never ending process fueled by love and a drive for making your child's life the best it can be. Many of our mistakes in parenting come from that love and desire to make Junior happy. Here's the thing...you can't make your child happy. Happiness and a good life come from within. It comes from a place of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health. All of these things requiring thoughtful, quality choices on a regular basis.
Here's the thing: you have to have a set of guiding principles and beliefs in order to consistently parent. I'll share mine concerning nutrition.
1. Real foods that are close to their most natural state should make up the majority of my family's diet.
2. I believe in buying the best quality foods we can reasonably afford.
3. Eating at home or food from home should happen as much as possible so we know what we're getting.
4. Vegetables, fruits, and naturally grown protein are central to the majority of our meals.
5. Added sugar will be avoided when possible.
6. Life is too short to not have treats and living by the rules 24-7 is almost impossible.
Agree or disagree with our family's nutrition principles, not the point. The point is, we know where we stand and what we believe in. So, when my son asks for a Little Debbie Oatmeal Cream Pie for breakfast and I go along with it once in a blue moon, I know where we stand the rest of the day. He won't get another sweet until much later in the day after getting quality foods down the hatch. (Am I the only person left that calls things sweets?) And here's the kicker...he knows it too. He might try for another, but my "no" comes with little resistance because he never really thought it was going to happen.
Our little guy (I still think of him as little, but he's 5) eats a pretty wide variety of things. He stonewalls on different foods weekly and we roll with it according to the situation. Is he holding out for a snack later? Is it a food we haven't had in a while and he doesn't remember it? Or does he think it's a tomato? Because, dude will not touch a raw tomato with a ten foot pole just like his father. As the parents, we usually make him try the food. We ask him if he liked it and listen. If he does, he eats it of course. If he says he doesn't like it today, we usually require him to eat at least some of it for nutrition sake and so he knows everything doesn't have to be a culinary field day.
Take a look at the hissy fit inducing article for yourself if you like.
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/02/18/sugar-mist-makes-veggies-more-palatable-to-kids/
It's time to make dinner and since I won't be spraying any sugar on the stir fry, I'll need to give it my full attention.
Later-
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