Until I had kids, I never had seen someone sprint to green beans.
"Can I have a green bean?" my 3-year-old asked without waiting for an answer. A cardboard display wobbled back and forth as she ran toward the produce section.
Until I had kids, I never had seen someone sprint to green beans. I like to think it's a sign my wife and me are doing a decent job of getting our kids to enjoy healthy food.
My kids, especially my youngest, do this every time we go to the grocery. They carefully select and sample one green bean. They like the crunch, they say. I think they also like the sense of danger that comes with obtaining a forbidden green bean. I'm always amazed how much they love them.
When I was a kid, I always ate my vegetables. I ate everything. In fact, just thinking about it makes me hungry. But I'm not sold on raw green beans. I like them cooked.
They think I'm crazy. And I point this out when they won't eat something much more delicious than a raw green bean.
My wife and I try a lot of different things to get them interested in good food. We have them touch, smell and taste everything. They help cook in the kitchen. They dig for worms and help my wife plant the garden. And when we eat, we encourage them to think about flavors.
Of course, on nights when they just don't want to eat, discussing any flavor that's not hot dog is the last thing they want to do.
Sometimes, it's a struggle to get kids to eat things they think they don't like. They are incredibly picky about size, shape, color and smell. Even the location on the plate is a reason to protest.
One night, my 5-year-old, speaking for all children, declared she only wanted to ever eat cheeseburgers, hot dogs and mac and cheese. This was not what we were having for dinner.
"Me, too," I said. "And pizza." Alas, I explained, we need to eat healthy food, too. And I motioned toward the untouched pile of quinoa on her plate. She made a face.
"You do not like them, so you say. Try them! Try them! And you may," I said in my best Dr. Seuss tone. The line is from "Green Eggs and Ham," in which a character goes a long way to avoid tasting something only to discover he loves it. It's in our regular rotation of books for this very reason.
She considered this and nodded. Then she decided that she should try to spell "quinoa" first, or at least guess the first letter before she dare try it. It took three guesses. She slowly spoke the word, "quinoa," rolling it around in her mouth. Everyone else had a clean plate.
Then she took a tiny bite.
"Hey, this is pretty good. I like it," she said, taking another bite. "But I like mac and cheese more."
David Manley is an editor at The Canton Repository. Share your stories with him at david.manley@cantonrep.com. On Twitter: @DaveManley.