I Disguised the Broccoli, and I'm Not Even Sorry!

I don't know about the rest of the parents out there- but I know for me, motherhood has taught me an invaluable lesson. The lesson? There is absolutely nothing you can do to convince a child to try something new or to eat something they don't like, if they've already decided they don't like it or that it looks "gross."

So, like any good mother, I have resorted to "trickery" in some instances. I think that occasionally, parenting does call for being a bit sneaky. A "necessary evil" of sorts. When I've discovered that there's something my kids are refusing to try or that they have decided not to like something (and especially something they've always eaten in the past), I do occasionally "disguise" it and make it into something else.

No, I don't make food completely unrecognizable, but just enough that my kids don't quite realize that it's the same thing that they've been snubbing! I'm one of the parents who, if begging or telling the child to try something doesn't work, bargaining doesn't work, then I'll resort to disguising the food. This can mean cheese on the broccoli, adding cheese to beans or stews, finely chopping the carrots into the egg rolls so my kids don't realize they're there, or various other forms of food disguising.

And you know what? I'm not even sorry. Usually once I've "disguised" something a time or two, I go ahead and tell my children what they've been eating. And usually, they continue to eat it no matter how I prepare it from that point on. Motherhood sometimes is challenging, but that's why moms are supposed to be known for being resourceful and creative.

Parenting is a whole challenge in and of itself, and sometimes you just have to think outside the box. Especially when it comes to getting your child to try new things. But, if your best efforts fail and your child still doesn't like whatever it is that he or she is snubbing- best to just stop trying to get them to eat it, at least for the moment.