If You Don’t Eat Veggies, Why Should I?

My friend Sheila was distraught that her son Ned hated vegetables. He wouldn’t touch a single leafy green, and not even brightly colored peppers interested him. When she asked him why he didn’t like vegetables, she was surprised by his response. It wasn’t “They taste icky.” It wasn’t “They’re gross!” Do you know what he said? “You don’t eat them. Why should I?”

True, she hated vegetables. And she expressed this in their household openly, not willing to touch any dish with vegetables because she hated how they tasted. Little did she know her four-year-old was absorbing this all, and took to imitating his Mom on the hatred for vegetables.

Children imitate what adults do. Sometimes we think what we do is beyond their comprehension, when in fact they are like sponges! They quietly absorb what’s going on in their environment. And from the eyes of a child, if an adult does it, it must be right, isn’t it?

Sheila still hates vegetables, but she’s become more conscious about what she eats in front of Ned. He still dislikes vegetables, but when he sees his mom put some on her plate, he does the same thing. It takes some getting used to, Sheila shares. But at least she’s getting her vegetable nutrition too!

Image credit: sxc.hu