Are we teaching our child to not welcome all tastes?

“You are such a sweet, sweet child!

“If you fall sick, you will need to eat bitter medicine.”

“Don’t eat the lemon, it’s too sour!”

These are some of the commonly said things about tastes. We also want our children to be open to a variety of foods and tastes. We send some mixed signals here.

How do you speak about tastes to your child and in general in your life? Do you express any preferences or aversions?

If we are neutral and open in our approach, then and only then it would be reasonable for us to expect that our child will be open to new tastes. Telling our child to avoid doing something in order to avoid the bitter medicine is like setting ourselves up for failure for when the child will actually be sick and will need to be open to taking the medicine.

The same thought can be applied to other aspects of our life as well. What we model for our child is more effective than what we tell them.

Activity:

What are your preferences when it comes to tastes and different foods?

What are your aversions when it comes to tastes and different foods?

What are your expectations from your child when it comes to food?

What can you do to align your own words and actions to your expectations of your child?