It’s finger night! Hey, I’m talking about veggies. Ok, so your kids don’t really like vegetable, they life french fries and fried cheese sticks. Who doesn’t? But maybe you can make your life a lot easier and dinner far more pleasant if you lighten up. We are Americans so we can make our own rules right?
If you want your kids to eat more vegetable without out all the table tension and fake gagging sound effects, try letting them eat all the vegetables with their fingers.
When I was a kid I remember keeping cooked carrots in my mouth for ten minutes until I could get to the bathroom and spit them out. Gross, right? And I remember trying to hide my squash in my napkin then seritpsioucly chucking it in a garbage can. I’d do anything to avoid vegetables.
Grilled zucchini, finger food, asparagus, finger food, broccoli with cheese sauce, finger food. Peas can be a little difficult but everything from tomato slices (yeah, I know there are folks who say tomatoes are a fruit) to artichokes and carrots taste a whole lot better and are pretty fun to eat if you get to use your finger. Try it sometime.
The truth is, after a while they will develop a taste for the vegetables and eat them like a real human, with a knife and fork. And you can suspend the finger rule when you go to restaurants with actual silverware. But when you are at home, make your kids us a knife and fork on everything except the healthy ones.Maybe helping your kids develop great habits, habits that will stay with them for a life time is more important than exquisite etiquette and Monarchy-like table manners.
Dinner time with your family should be joyous or at least tolerable. If vegtables are ruining the moment lighten up and get a little messy with your broccoli. And when seven year old friends come to visit you can bet you’ll be the cool parent if you tell them to eat the zucchini with their fingers. We’re Americans, hell, we’re Arkansans, we can make up our own rules.
