The Great Veggie Experiment

Twelve years into parenting, the feeling I most associate with my kids and vegetables is hopelessness. Now I choose to focus on our strengths. We’re great at fruits. Unparalleled at carb consumption.

The first time I realized that not every child’s eating habits are created equal was one Shabbos when my oldest was a toddler. We were spending the long afternoon at a friend’s house. As we sat around the table, I looked on in astonishment as my friend’s toddler, around the same age as my oldest, ate a full plate of salmon, vegetables, and rice that wasn’t just plain white —essentially a whole adult meal.

My child was eating Cheerios. I made some comment on the difference between our children’s food preferences, and my friend’s husband told me that if I’d just put a variety of food in front of my child, my child would eat it.

Even now, I can still feel the sinking sensation I experienced when I heard that if I’d only make more of an effort, things would be different. In front of my child, that meal would’ve remained untouched. Hence the Cheerios diet and my decision to relegate vegetable intake to the “battles that aren’t worth fighting” category.