There was never a doubt in my mind when it came to enforcing healthy lifestyle choices in my home and that desire only intensified when I became a mom. I breastfed as long as I physically could and when it came time for table food, my son’s first taste was spinach. I have been determined to make sure my kid is a clean eater and stays active each day, and can I tell you, it has been a battle, to say the least.
The whole time I was pregnant I had these beautiful thoughts of making these pretty little meals of green leafy veggies, beans, fruits, and organic everything but here comes reality, the dream killer. Yea, my kid likes green beans, broccoli, and carrots, but that’s it. He likes pinto beans and black beans, and that’s cool too, but that’s it. You run out of enticing meal ideas after about 3 weeks when you only have 5 items to rotate through. To top it all off, my daily struggle of finding things my kid would actually eat becomes even harder when I find out he’s also allergic to egg and all dairy. Clearly, I had to regroup.
So I thought about the reason I wanted to live a healthy lifestyle in the first place and what I wanted to teach my son by continuing to do so. I thought about how great I felt when I ate a balanced meal each day, how I was full of energy and could conquer the world. How yoga and walking made me feel refreshed and happy and how when I did indulge on a cheat day or a lazy day, how hard it was to get back on track. I wanted to teach my son that taking care of his body was one of the best ways he could express self-love and I also wanted him to have a positive mental approach to doing so as well. I’m a healthy 30-year-old woman and I’ve had the occasional burger and Hershey’s bar, so could an occasional chicken nugget really hurt him?
Early into my parenting life, I was given so many tips and tricks on what my family and friends believed were the best possible ways to tackle parenting and although all their tips have been very useful the best ones that I have committed to utilizing the most is remember this is all trial and error and to lead by example. So yes, my son likes fruit snacks but he also likes chopped fruit and fruit pouches, so I offer him options and in most cases let him decide. Some movie nights we have BBQ chips, mom’s favorite, but most movie nights we have veggie chips too. He still asks for apple juice all day but doesn’t mind water, especially if he can swig it from mom’s cup. “Ugh, baby backwash” but I digress, this is parenting success.
Over time, and through much trial and error we’ve discovered my son’s love for many other healthy food choices as well as his dislike to some too, we’re still figuring it out. I intentionally buy more healthy food choices than not, which forces me to choose better options when I get an urge to snack. My son can see there are fruit snacks on the shelf but he can also see there are fruit bars too. If mom is doing some yoga in the living room, he invites himself to join, or he’ll just flip off the couch repeatedly and hey, at least he’s being active, right?
Reality might try to throw you some low blows when it comes to your vision on parenting but don’t back down, especially if it’s something important to you. Just approach it from another angle and always choose your battles wisely. You might not win them all, but you don’t have to throw in the towel. Get comfortable with only having chicken nuggets for all 3 meals every once in a while. Approach every situation with an open mind and be realistic about your kid. I expect my son to want candy and cookies and he’ll enjoy many of those treats too, but I also want him to want fruit cups and oatmeal so I indulge in some healthier options and invite him to join me too. We share all our meals with them anyway, might as well get that serving of veggies in if I can. I’ve become confident that if I keep leading by example and encouraging healthier options, that as he gets older he’ll take it upon himself to eat healthily and be active all on his own. In the meantime, I get to try out yet another variation of the ‘black bean burger” tonight because he’s literally not touched the last 4 Pinterest recipes I’ve attempted, and that’s cool too…“oh, joy”.
