Kids and Food
By
Celeste Palermo, copyright 2003
“Mom, can I have some Craisins?”
“I don’t like any fruits or vegetables,” says my daughter’s visiting friend.
“I do,” says Peyton. “Please, Mom?”
“Sure Pey,” I answer, pouring dried cranberries into my daughter’s hand.
“These are so yummy,” says Peyton to her friend. “You should try them. They are good.”
“OK, I guess so,” she replies. I pour few into her hand as well. Then the two of them scurry off to play. Ten minutes later, they are back.
“Can we have some more Craisins?” Peyton asks. “We both like them.” I refill four waiting hands and continue to prepare dinner as they munch on the snack.
“Do you guys want a sugar snap pea?” I ask.
“Ya! Ya! Ya!” Peyton gushes. The friend looks hesitant.
“I don’t really like fruits or vegetables,” she reiterates.
“OK, sweetie, you don’t have to eat any,” I say, handing two peas to my daughter.
“Yummy!” Peyton exclaims, crunching down on the vegetable.
“Are they really good?” inquires her friend, not wanting to miss a tasty treat.
“Yep,” says Peyton, her mouth full.
“OK, I’ll try one,” says the girl. She takes a pea and nibbles off a mouse-size bite. Then she takes a bigger nip. “Can I have another one?” she asks before she has finished the first. I just smile and hand her another, touched by my daughter’s ability to impact the behavior of her malleable companion.
On another night, Peyton, who usually eats anything, refuses to eat her squash.
“Different people have different tastes,” she says. This is a new one.
“Where did you hear that?” asks Pete.
“At school,” says Peyton. “My friend Josh told me at lunch today.”
“I see,” says Pete. “Well, you used to like squash. So you need to eat at least a few bites.”
“No squash, no ice-cream,” I say with a stronger tone.
“OK,” says Peyton, shoving a bite into her mouth, taking my threat seriously. No dessert is a big deal.
I am amazed at how early peer pressure influences, thinking it more typical of high school and underage drinking. Yet, after watching my preschooler and her friends, I realize peer pressure starts early and applies to everything, not the least of all, food.
While my daughter may get her friends to try new fruits and vegetables, the reverse is true; her friends can influence her choices as well. Since starting preschool, Peyton has become much more choosy. It frustrates me to no end, to have her pick at food she once gobbled down. Still, there is a glimmer of hope.
I have established a reward system for Peyton. When she demonstrates each of the Fruits of the Spirit: joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, she earns a “fruity” treat. In this instance, a box of Froot Loops.* While she once loved this sugary cereal, she is not as excited about it as she once was.
After earning a reward, she says to me, “But Froot Loops are not good for me, Mom.” (Something I’d said a thousand times before in the cereal isle of the supermarket.)
“They are sugary,” I say, “but they are a treat. You’ve earned them.”
“Well,” she says with conviction, “I’d rather have Cheerios.”
I am impressed. I believe her choice to eat something with less sugar is reflective of my repeated attempts to foster healthy food choices. In my mind, this proves kids do listen and despite our hounding and preaching, we do make a difference. In the end, positive parenting can win over other pervasive influences, such as peer pressure and million-dollar marketing. This encourages me for the time when cereal and vegetables are the least of my worries.
I take Peyton to preschool and return home, heading straight for the pantry. If she is not going to eat the Froot Loops, I will. I loved them as a kid and cannot wait to sneak a bowl of sugary delight. (Sometimes it is difficult to practice what you preach.) Yet, the cereal pours out of the box like raindrops from a thundercloud—each rainbow circle adding to a flood of guilt. I cannot eat her cereal. I think of my daughter’s positive example and know I must also demonstrate self-control. So I opt for oatmeal instead—topping it with a heaping scoop of brown sugar to quiet my sweet tooth.
*Gal 5: 22 and parenting idea: Creative Correction, Whelchel, Lisa, Copyright 2000, Tyndale Books
