Wednesday, January 03, 2007

Veggie Tales

Maxfield is a good eater. Always has been. He, pretty much, for the most part, eats what we give him. He rarely eats junk food or fast food, unless it is a special occassion, and he really likes his fruits and vegetables. Sure, every now and then, he has his moments where he refuses to eat his dinner and he will whine and cry that he does not like something, but the item of his dislike is rarley a veggie.

Max's mother is the reason for his healthy and hearty eating habits. I say this for two reasons. 1) She must have passed on the good eating genes to him. I do not like vegetables. I eat them but I do not like them. Lauren, on the other hand, loves vegetables. And 2) She serves him whatever we are having and he has to try everything. If he does not like it, that is fine, as long as he tries it. If Max is in one of his moods and after several attempts to get him to eat and he refuses to eat anything, he does not get anything else for the rest of the night. No dessert. No snacks. Nothing. He goes to bed hungry.

I do what I can to support Lauren and set a good example for the kids. However, I am not a good eater. I do not like vegetables. I eat them because that is what Lauren made.

Last night Lauren made chicken, rice and broccoli. Max finished his serving of broccoli before he touched the other items.

"More." He said pointing to empty broccoli area on his plate.

"You can have more Max, but that is not how you ask for something." Lauren said.

"More Broccoli, Please." He smiled.

"That's better Maxfield." Lauren smiled back.

Since there was no more left in the pot, I cut a few pieces of the green flower clusters from the stalks. "Here Max. Have some of mine." I put a few pieces on his plate.

I finished eating the rest of my broccoli, except for a few slices of the stalk. Max wolfed his down. He ate a few spoonfuls of rice and was eyeing my plate. He reached over and grabbed one of the thick stalk slices and took a bite.

"Maxfield." Lauren said in a stern voice. "If you would like more, just ask. Do not just grab it off of someone else's plate."

I looked over to Lauren. "That's okay." I said.

"No it's not. He should not grab things without asking, Isn't that right buddy?" Lauren patted his head and rustled his hair.

Max beamed up at Lauren and nodded.

"I know." I said. "But he was grabbing broccoli. It's not like..."

Lauren cut me off. "Just because he is taking broccoli, something good for him, does not make it right."

I sat quiet for a minute. And then I had to confess. "I did not mean that it was okay that he was helping himself to a vegetable because it is good for him. I meant it was okay because he was taking MY broccoli and that I would not have to eat it."

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Totally with you on the veggie thing. I eat them because I know what'll happen if I don't, and I'm not talking about malnutrition.

My daughter will actually pick through a casserole to get all the broccoli, then hold up a plate (still full with other ingredients) and say, "I need more broccoli please Mommy."

It's those times that I tell my wife I want a paternity test.

Sharpie said...

LOL!!!!!

My son likes broccoli more than anything else. When we are out at a restaurant and he orders a kids meal - he never gets the fries as his side - ALWAYS broccoli.

Weird, neither DH or I would do THAT.

Andrea said...

Without missing the humor in your post, I want to say that I can see, in so many ways, what a very good mother Lauren is.

Julie said...

Sounds like you don't handle guilt well. My husband would have totally played up the "I'm looking out for his healthy eating" part - except I know he hates veggies too.

Broccoli is one of the only veggies my oldest will eat as well. But only the "tree tops" no trunks.

Unknown said...

Nathan started out a great veggie eater. Then he was introduced to McDonals and it was all downhill from there.

Loretta @ Stitching the Night Away said...

That was a great broccoli story :) My kids are half and half on this ... two of them love their veggies and two of them want to live on pbj sandwiches forever and ever!

Michelle said...

Wow - can I borrow Lauren for a few weeks? I need to get my kids to try stuff - my big ones won't try anything.

Kami said...

Amen. Broccoli is yucky. Unless it's covered in cheese.

MrsDoF said...

My 21 year old son wrote 'brussel sprouts' on the shopping list. They need not be fresh. He said the frozen will do.
Love of veges is the one thing he got from his mom. Thank goodness he got his dad's math skills.

Anonymous said...

See what happens if Maxfield reaches over for your Chivas without asking.

Anonymous said...

Now I see what happens when a "Meat and Potatoes" guy marries a "Vegetable Girl". They have a broccoli loving baby! Bring the kid North! We'll show him how to eat. Skittles and M&M's, chips and dip, popcorn, juice boxes, and hot chocolate with marshmallows with candy cane stirers, homemade choc. chip cookies with tea. He may never eat, let alone see broccoli again! :)

Anonymous said...

You and Lauren are a good team - Maxfield will do well! :)

Anonymous said...

Lauren could kick Super Nanny's ass.

Anonymous said...

What a blessing to see a young family teaching their children manners. I see many people that don't bother to civilize their kids and we all pay for it!

Your children will go far in life, with healthy bodies, concern for others and good self-esteem. They will have their parents to thank for a great start.

I applaud both of you for your efforts, I'm sure they already make you proud.

Unknown said...

As Jeff said, I think we could just about repeat this exact post on one of our blogs and it would be accurate :)

Charlotte in Pa said...

Lol at Kalki! I had a visual of Lauren and Super Nanny in a Cage Match. Hmm.. maybe a pool of pudding would be better. I'll work on this.

Kate Giovinco Photography said...

I love vegetables too, Max! the best part of the broccoli is the stalks!

eclectic said...

Bill, Bill, Bill... at least Lauren wasn't feeding you lentils or tofu. Broccoli seems tame by comparison, no?