Was I born that way? How did my parents influence it?
Some people feel it's genetic. As if them being a good eater means their offspring are good eaters. I disagree. And, if they have enough kids, I think they will too.
My parents are great eaters. 6 kids. Some of us were, some were not. I did not like vegetable AT ALL growing up. None. Gagged on peas. Didn't care for salads. Hated green beans. Corn ON the cob has always been an exception for some reason - and tomatoes. My parents LOVE a cooked squash. YUCK!
This drove my parents crazy to no end. I remember once, I about threw up at the dinner table because I "had to take 1 bite before I could get down." My parents did all they could to get me to like vegetables. Tried different ways of cooking it, dipping sauces, etc., to no avail.
What changed? I became an adult and realized I have to learn to like them a bit for healthy reasons. I even had a neighbor a few years ago tell me I was going to die young because I didn't eat enough veggies. Thanks. Everyone wants to hear something like that! Hahaha!
I forced myself to like Green Beans. I figured that's something we can always eat canned or fresh that I'll always like. Quite honestly, I LOVE them now. I LOVE salads now. I'm getting better and better with other ones like corn, asparagus, and others. No thank you on cooked carrots or sweet potatoes though. Oh, or squash. Not sure I'll ever like those. And yes, I've tried them every which way. (Full disclosure, as kids we accidentally killed our pet gerbil by feeding him our sweet potatoes when my parents were out of the room. Died. Seriously dead from Yams.)
I do believe parents can influence healthy eating. Of course. Would I have ever really fully embraced veggies if my parents had never cared? I doubt it. They are good examples and taught me correctly.
So, that's what I am trying to be with my kids. Aria LOVES all veggies. In fact, we haven't found a food she doesn't like. It's just something within her. The same thing that I didn't have even though my parents did. Ben is half and half. His birth family were great with feeding him veggies, and he was the same when he first came to our family. Now that he's getting older and going through phases where he is starting to have more opinions, he is rejecting more. Makes me sad! But, I'm sure he'll come back around as he gets older.
Still, I can't complain. They are great eaters compared to most kids their ages. Drew is a veggie lover. No concerns there, whatsoever. And, I threatened him to never let the kids know that I don't like all veggies. Especially when they are young and it could influence them the wrong way.
If I make a salad, I have a kid instantly sitting on my lap between me and my plate with their mouth open waiting for a bite!
4 comments:
I just love how often you've been writing on your blog! It's so nice to see photos of Ben & Aria, and read up on what your family has been up to.
I am so glad that Aria is a good eater! Parker is THE pickiest eater- Oh, it drives me NUTS! I feel like I server very balanced meals, very diverse meals, and he thinks everything looks nasty... So, he can either gag it down or not eat- HA, I am a mean mommy, but one day, his future wife will thank me :)
I don't know if it's learned or inherited. But I do know that you can make yourself like something if you try it enough times. (Me + tomatoes = yum....now. In the past: Me + tomatoes = gag.) Even if it's as an adult that you do that!
Girl, I had the same issues growing up. My parents did serve veggies and try to encourage us to eat them, but my dad was pretty verbal about his dislike for veggies. I just learned to eat and enjoy salads in the last year. learning how to prepare green smoothies has really improved my palate and desire for veggies and healthy food though! I've worked really hard to expose B to veggies and he does like or will try most of them!
Such a hard thing!
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