I May Need To Rethink This...

As a parent, I want my children to have a broad palate. I remember before having kids dreading the idea of my children only eating hot dogs and macaroni and cheese, something I couldn't imagine doing myself. With that in mind, I instituted the chew-and-swallow rule early in the wee ones' toddlerhood.

If it's on your plate, you must take a bite large enough to satisfy me, and you must fully chew and swallow that bite before making a pronouncement. Granted, I've had to clarify that rule over the years, since it did originally start out as the "you have to try it" rule, which was open to far looser interpretations.

The wee ones have grown to accept it, and they know I'm not going to make them try things I truly don't expect them to like. Mister Man avoids sauces of all kinds, so I won't force him to try a fettucini alfredo, for example. And really, liver and onions? There's no way I'd eat it, so I won't push it on the wee ones.

Over the years, they've discovered (or remembered) that they really enjoy something from these requirements. And there are some things that we'll just keep trying again later. As Mister Man keeps insisting ever since his field trip to the grocery store (seriously - it was a really fun field trip), "Mommy, as I get bigger my taste buds get bigger, too, and things I used to not like, I might like."

Today we had a baptism to attend, and there was a lunch afterwards at an Italian restaurant. With Little Miss's dairy allergy, it was a bit of a challenge to find something for her to eat with the family style meal. The bruschetta and the bread were unfortunately out, as they had dairy. And it would be two courses before they brought out something for kids.

I offered Little Miss a piece of calamari in the hopes that it might tide her over.

And she proceeded to eat at least half a family size platter of calamari. (And an entire monstrously large bowl of pasta with marinara, but we won't talk about that now.) As I saw her continue to ask for more and more, I realized that maybe I should be a little more selective in what I offer her.

Maybe I'll find something a little less expensive to offer her next time. Can you imagine the guy on his first date with her as a teenager when she starts ordering?

Ewwwww! You like *what*?

Sometimes, as moms, we know what we do is going to backfire. The fun is figuring out how exactly it's going to backfire.

I've been pretty strict with my kids in making them try new things. Our rule is that if Mommy makes it, you have to try it. It's ok if you don't like it, but you have to put a bite in your mouth, chew and swallow. You won't get anything else until you do. From that, my kids have eventually discovered that they love things like salmon and edamame and carrots.

As a corollary, when I bake with them, I encourage them to smell all the ingredients we use. It's become a fun little ritual, especially when I break out the good vanilla. Sometimes they want to taste the ingredients, too. In keeping with the above rule, I won't discourage the tasting, unless it's something that isn't meant to be eaten (e.g., chewing a nutmeg nut).

Last night, I had some baking soda out. My son wanted to know what it was, so I explained that it helped make my cakes and pancakes and other goodies go from flat to high and bouncy. Then he asked to taste it.

Side story: I should know better. I really should. When driving back from St Louis after Christmas, DH had stopped to get gas and gotten me (unsolicited even!) a Starbucks Frappachino thingie. Of course, DS wanted to taste it, and I was sure he wouldn't like it, so I let him have a sip. Of course, he loved it and wanted to drink the whole thing. That's when I broke out the "Caffeine Is For Adults" speech. Fortunately, he's a logical little rascal and was amenable to instead just drinking some water. Silly me for thinking he wouldn't like a sugary sweet drink that doesn't even taste like coffee!

I had no issue with him tasting the baking soda. I explained that he probably wouldn't like it and that it's an ingredient, not something we usually eat by itself. Then I let him lick his finger and dip it into a tiny pile I'd made on the counter. Immediately the face wrinkled up in disgust and he tried to get it off his tongue. Smart Mommy had a glass of water just waiting for this reaction, and all was well.

Of course Little Miss I-Can-Do-Everyhing-Anyone-Else-Can-But-I-Can-Do-It-Better also wanted to try. So I let her try, as well, although I did the licking and dipping for her. Some things I just don't quite trust a two year old to do. The result? "Mmmmm, Mommy! Can I have some more?"

At that point, I was sure that I hadn't actually gotten any of the baking soda on my finger, so I tried again. This time, I made sure that I could see white powder quite clearly on my finger before wiping it on her tongue. And she asked for more. This went on a few more times before she decided she was done.

Really, I'm always happy when my children show evidence of not being the most picky eaters on the planet. I'm grateful that they'll try new things and sometimes even like them. But baking soda? Ewwww!

I don't know where she gets it from, but I can almost guarantee that tomorrow morning, Little Miss will ask if she can have some more baking soda. Honest and truly!