little one

I’ve been reading through the book French Kids Eat Everything, and am now super inspired about getting my own little American kid to eat everything too. 🙂

The book itself is an interesting read…lighthearted, intriguing, and a little eye-opening to the real French culture. It’s written by an North American woman who married a French man, had two children, and then moved to a small village in the French countryside for a year to experience his native culture. One of the things this mother learned quickly was the vast difference in the eating habits of not only French kids to American kids, but also French adults to American adults. Food is such an integral part of the French culture, and it’s almost as if a family’s entire day revolves mostly around…food. In fact, mealtimes are an event for the French, which means no eating on the go or mindless snacking and such. Family mealtimes are an essential part of family life, which in turn is what enables French children to experience a wide range of food and flavors at a young age since they are eating with adults and mostly eating what adults eat.

I’m a foodie person who loves cooking and eating and trying new things, so of course this aspect of the French culture is appealing to me. I know so many American kids exist on a steady diet of chicken fingers, French fries, macaroni and cheese, and all the “kid food” items that we just expect kids to eat as they grow up. It’s almost like we don’t even expect them to eat anything else, right? And that’s where the French food culture differs: they expect their children to develop the ability to eat all kinds of food. Vegetables, fruits, soups, salads, and even things that I would have a hard time eating like liver pâté, snails, and foie gras.

It’s already easy for me to get in a rut with the foods I prepare for Ayla, but I’m freshly determined to do my best at teaching her good eating habits and getting a variety of food and flavors into her little belly. Here a few tips from the book that I thought were helpful:

Parents, you are in charge of your child’s food education. If you don’t teach them good habits, no one will.

Avoid emotional eating, which means not using food as a reward, bribes, or punishment. This one is already difficult for me, because it’s so easy to give Ayla something to snack on when she’s fussing. I really want to be proactive at home in not developing the habit for myself in using food as a calming or soothing tool, but if we are out for a meal or with other people, I do often pull out a pretzel or cracker or dried fruit piece to keep her happy and distracted while we are having conversation.

Children should eat what adults eat…no short-order cooking. If a child refuses to eat something on their plate, don’t fight or force them…simply remove the offending item but do not give them something as a replacement.

If a child has a hard time with a certain food, tell them “you don’t have to like it, but you do have to taste it.” Apparently it can take about seven times of trying something new in order to develop a taste for it, so repeated tastings can get a child to enjoy something they previously didn’t like.

Don’t allow endless snacking. It’s ok to feel hungry between meals and to teach your child to wait to eat until the appointed time. French mothers feed their children one afternoon snack between lunch and dinner, but thats it. I’m not sure I’m totally on board with this technique, because I’m a two-or-three-snack-a-day person myself and we pretty much never go to bed without a little bedtime snack. But I like the idea of “mindful” snacking, which means it’s something intentional and not just get-a-snack-whenever-you-want-one. I’m sure this strategy is much easier said than done, especially with older children, but it’s what we’re shooting for as my own little ones grow up.

Slow food is happy food. Eat slowly, mindfully, and with pleasure.

So I have eggplant, cauliflower, and leeks all sitting in my refrigerator right now, waiting to make their way into my child’s mouth and tummy…and hopefully they make it to the tummy and don’t end up back on the tray once she’s had a taste. 😉 Bon appetit, little one!

What about you: what are your thoughts and strategies for raising good eaters?

I’d love to hear your thoughts!

I recently started reading Hand’s Free Mama (Sarah’s recommend!), and you guys…it’s so good.

I’ve only made it through half of the book so far (its on sale for ninety nine cents for the ebook edition right now so snatch it up!), but I have been endlessly challenged, inspired, and motivated. The author describes how her life had become a series of to-do lists, emails, phone calls, appointments, committees, etc. etc. etc. The book and the “hands free” movement came from a moment of epiphany when she realized that she was missing some of the sweetest things in life by allowing her schedule and other distractions to dictate her life. She was missing small moments with her children, rich connection with her husband, and even time for rest and rejuvenation for herself by giving in to the demands of other things that were “good,” but just not the best. She learned to reset her priorities and carve out “hands free” time that was strictly for being with the ones she loved, free of distractions.

I wasn’t so much struck with the aspect of her busy-ness, because I honestly try to protect my life and schedule from becoming busy or overwhelming. I don’t thrive on busy-ness or a full schedule, and I do what I can to keep my life from becoming that, especially in this season of our family life. But what challenged and inspired me more than anything was the reminder of practicing mindfulness in being fully present with those around me.

I am a distracted human. In today’s world, there are a million things vying for my attention, and far too often I let the petty things of social media or internet browsing or texting and emailing pull me away from the ones that really matter. I never want my daughter to feel like she is hidden from my view because of the screen in front of my face. I never want my husband to feel like he is less important than the ones I’m connecting with online. I never want my to-do list to become more important than stooping down to kiss my child or taking a moment to just sit on the floor and watch her. I never want anything else to become more necessary to me than the thing that truly matters the most:: the ones I am with. I want to embrace being mindfully present, no matter where I am or what I’m doing.

Here are a few quotes taken from the book that are just too good not to share::

“The most precious gift we can offer others is our presence. When mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers.”
“At least three times a day take a moment and ask yourself what is really important. Have the wisdom and the courage to build your life around your answer.”
“I see you. You matter. I am watching you. When spoken and repeated every day, these messages begin to take up residence in a little one’s soul. He begins to believe his worth. She begins to carry these messages with her. He learns how to see others. She learns how to love herself and others…just from a few moments of pausing and seeing our kids.”

What about you: what are your thoughts about practicing mindfulness in being present with those around you? Do you find it easy to let distractions keep you from the things that are truly important?

I’d love to hear your thoughts!