I think by their very nature, kids are just picky eaters.  I know that was the case in our house growing up.  I have vivid memories of sitting at the dinner table and my parents trying to persuade my brother to eat his vegetables.  You could pretty much bet on the nights my mom cooked anything that was green, there was going to be a knock down, drag out during supper.

On a side note, I always ate my veggies.  Not because I liked them necessarily, but more because I liked showing up my brother. ”Look Sonny, Lei-Lei’s eating all her broccoli like a good girl. Why can’t you be more like your sister?” my parents would say as I secretly laughed on the inside.  That’s the kind of little sister I was.  In hindsight, maybe I did deserve my head being sat on sometimes.

Anyway back to my point, my brother is now in his thirties, and he still doesn’t eat broccoli.  Not because he’s stubborn and trying to stick it to my parents, but because he really doesn’t like broccoli.

So I decided a while back that I was not going to force my children to eat certain foods.  However, when I made this decision, I didn’t have children.  And I certainly didn’t understand the fickleness of a three year old’s taste buds.

Ok, she doesn’t want to eat brussel sprouts or cabbage, I get, but grilled cheese sandwiches?  PB&Js?  DONUTS?!?  Come on!  Now I know what you are thinking, and yes, those are all pretty much junk food, and I should be happy she doesn’t want to eat those things.  What bothers me is not that she doesn’t like these foods, but that she won’t even try them.  I don’t want her deciding that something doesn’t taste good when she hasn’t even tasted it.  So as her mother, it is my job to break her of this, right?

So yesterday  as I was packing our lunch for the pool, I thought I would give the PB&J  another shot.   My hope was that maybe she would see other children eating sandwiches (something she declares she won’t eat), and I could use peer pressure to my advantage.

After swimming for several hours, she and several of her friends sit down on their towels ready for lunch.  All the moms start pulling out various snacks, including sandwiches for everyone.  So I say, “Edie, I made you a sandwich too.  Would you like to try it?”

She looks around at her friends.  I keep my poker face on, but inside I’m patting myself on the back for outwitting her.  She slowly nods her head, unsure of the decision she’s making.  I give her the PB&J.  She takes one sniff and declares her disgust thrusting it back at me.  Edie 1, Mommy 0.

Later that day as she is drying off and getting ready to go, she tells me she wants a snack.  So again, I try and pawn the PB&J sandwich off on her.  I give her the options:  A yummy PB&J that has been sitting in the cooler or some leftover blueberries that have been out in the sun since lunch.  Once again, she teases me and makes me think for an second she might eat the sandwich.  She actually gets it to her lips before she starts pretend gagging.  Edie 2, Mommy 1/2 (because her eating any kind of fruit isn’t really a complete loss).

Finally we come home, dry off, and get ready for nap time.  She tells me she is hungry and would like another snack.  I say, “No kidding.   All you’ve had since breakfast is some string cheese and warm blueberries.  Of course, you’re hungry, but are you hungry enough for a…” you guessed it “PB&J?”

She asks what her other options are, and I tell her water.  So for the third time that day, I remove the sandwich from it’s plastic bag and present it to her.  This time, I am really talking it up.  “Ooo, sandwiches are so yummy.  I used to eat these when I was a little girl,” and so forth.  I even fix her a big glass of grape juice to go with it.

She takes one bite and declares, “I DO like sandwiches, Mommy!”  I walk away proud and think, “This is what Sam I Am must have felt like in the end!”  And I declare myself the winner for the day!