Have you ever experienced running after your kids with a spoonful of green leafy vegetables trying so hard to entice them to eat it or at least convince them that their taste is as good as their effect on their health? I often play hide and seek, landing airplanes, funny faces and yet they keep their mouths shut as if afraid of the germs that threaten to come in.
I have not met one parent who did not have a problem with getting their children to eat vegetables. Just a few days ago, I witnessed one mom trying to coax her son to stop taking the lettuce out of the burger she bought him. I looked at them amusingly and turned to look at my son who was busy finishing his share of our food. He was eating everything, meat, onions, veggies, everything.
Not to say I have not had my share of cajoling and encouraging and maybe even some bribing just to get my kids to eat one more vegetable. Although I can’t really recall the last time I had to do it. I guess I have always been lucky or I must have done something right that my kids picked up on.
I think it happened when they were at that copycat stage, mimicking everything their parents and everyone around them would do. Being the food enthusiast that I am, my face turns very expressive whenever food enters my mouth. Be it yum, yuck or otherwise. When they saw that I was putting the icky veggies into my mouth and not spitting it out, they must have thought it was good for them and so started eating it as well. Then they started having favorites and by then it was easy to "force" other varieties to them, even when they did not like it. I say force because there are still moments when they are not in the mood to eat veggies.
Leading by example. The power of imitation. Now isn’t that the perfect example of taking advantage of something that can sometimes prove to be irritating?


