First Post - let the challenge begin!
Let me start with the basics. I am a mother of two children (I will resist the temptation to add the obligatory "wonderful") who represent polar opposites in terms of their relationship with vegetables. My daughter, who is ten, has always enjoyed food, relished new tastes and even been prepared to eat foods that she doesn't particularly enjoy. My son however, who has many talents, cannot count vegetable-eating among them. In his seven years he has been nothing if not consistent - consistently refusing all vegetables barring potatoes and sweetcorn. Now I do realise that in the grand scheme of small fussy-eaters he wouldn't warrant a second glance. I have read about a boy who survived on nothing but jam sandwiches all of his childhood, of a girl who will only eat food that is brown in colour. My son at seven wouldn't even get a nomination in the Fussy Eating Oscars compared to the likes of those two. But I don't want his determination to avoid vegetables to be overlooked. It shows sticking power. All I want to achieve though in this challenge is to cajole, charm or even trick him into eating just a little more than potatoes. I read that there are 200 types to choose from and thousands of variations on those to try. There has to be something that he will like. And given all the pressure on us as a parents to get our kids to eat healthily it almost feels like a legal obligation to at least try. No doubt in twenty years time there will be newspaper reports of children suing their parents for failing to instill healthy eating habits in them. Maybe a passive-snacking law will be passed to protect the impressionable dears from being exposed to unhealthy eating habits. Anyhow in the spirit of the World Wide Web I am opening up this blog to all of you parents out there who have tried and succeeded to introduce your offspring to the joys of carrots, peas, lettuce, spinach, asparagus, avocado, beetroot, green beans - in fact any vegetable. Any ideas gratefully received.