When you have kids, it’s a continual battle to try to get them to eat things that are vaguely healthy.
Take for instance, my son Diego. As far as he’s concerned the Food Pyramid consists of three categories: string cheese, waffles and yogurt tubes. If it doesn’t fall into one of those categories, it simply doesn’t exist in his world.
“Do you want a yogurt, Diego?” I ask hopefully spooning homemade organic yogurt into a cup.
“Is in a tube?” he says, already wrinkling up his nose.
“No,” I say, in my most cheery sunshine voice. “Look! It’s in a nice round cup.”
But Diego is already walking away. “No, thank you. Me no like yogurt cup.”
“But why?” I ask, eager to delve into the intricacies of the toddler mind.
“Because is not a TUBE.”
Well, at least he knows what he likes, right? Unfortunately, the other thing Diego likes is to scavenge for treats in the most random places. For example, the other day, my husband Danny was out with the kids at an indoor pool.
They were just finished swimming and waiting for their bathing suits to dry off a bit in the spinner before they went home. Diego was fiddling with something on the floor. When he stood up, he was chewing on something.
“Ummmmm….WHAT are you chewing on?” my husband asked.
Diego smiled a sneaky smile and balled his hands into fists behind his back.
“Come on,” Danny coaxed. “It’s okay. Just show me.”
Diego opened his clenched hand. Inside were three wet M&M’s, the colors already bleeding onto Diego’s open palm. Unfortunately, in his mouth were three more.
“DUDE. Wet M&M’s, Diego? Really? Where did you find them?”
“In that puddle!” Diego pointed happily to a puddle on the gym floor that was probably a mixture of water, foot sweat and pee.Yep. That’s about the size of it. M&M’s + foot sweat = tasty toddler snack.
But yogurt in a cup? No way.
