People underestimate what kids will like. We recently took a weekend vacation with our daughter to hike at a wilderness sanctuary. She loved it. Before we left, a student of mine thought we should be taking her to more "touristy" places like Wisconsin Dells instead. As it turns out, my daughter loved hiking so much, we went back there the next day. After the first day of hiking, we planned to take our daughter to this bar/restaurant we heard about (but couldn't remember the name) that had a huge patio right by the river. One of the ladies that works at the nature center overheard us and thought we were talking about a supper club. She told us our daughter wouldn't like it there. It wasn't the same place, but when we described the restaurant we were planning to go to, she still looked disgusted. She told us that there was a McDonald's down the street and we should take her there because that's what the kids like. I thought she was going to have a heart attack when I told her, "My daughter doesn't like the food there, but thanks for the suggestion". We promptly left and ate at the restaurant we planned to eat at. We ate soup and homemade grilled chicken wraps while boats sailed by us. A bike path was between the river and the restaurant so there were many joggers/bikers/dog walkers passing by. Our daughter loved it. The next day we happened to drive past that supper club the lady had mentioned. We turned around. The supper club wasn't fancy, but it was right by the water. We ate there while the sun set over the bay. The service was wonderful, the prices were decent, and we had a variety of choices. We feasted on homemade bread and soup, and a salad bar which featured fresh fruits, vegetables, and a multitude of other options. My daughter was thrilled with just the salad bar. By the time the main course came, we were practically stuffed. We had plenty of leftovers for lunch the next day. The restaurant was child-friendly enough. It had a high chair and the staff and the other diners didn't care when my daughter babbled and laughed. In fact, she was an icebreaker between us and the couple next to us (whose children are now teenagers). My husband and I enjoyed the quality family time that we had at dinner. Our daughter loved it.
May 4, 2010
The Taboo of Eating Healthy
Is it just me or is eating healthy uncool, yet being on a diet is totally acceptable? Over the past five years, my husband and I have cut fried foods and soda out of our diets and we avoid eating highly processed foods. This was extremely hard to do, but it was worth the effort. I have more energy, better concentration, and my body feels better overall. I commend anyone who makes these life choices. However, I avoid this subject with most people, because they act like we are depriving ourselves. "You don't let yourselves eat ______?" I often find that it's easier just to say that I'm on a diet. People quickly nod and say they understand.
This judgmental behavior happens more often than you would think. People talk about taking their children to McDonald's (or equivalent fast food joint) and I keep silent. I pretend that I'm just "one of the moms", but in reality I've only taken my daughter there 3 times since she was born (only twice did we get food). The only reason we went was because twice we were meeting friends & playing on the indoor playground and once we attended a birthday party held there. My daughter hates the food (except the milk and apples) and she thinks it's pointless to go there to eat anyway. Like most little kids probably think, to her it is an indoor playground that also serves food. I think I'm starting to feel that way too. Pretending that I don't feel disgust with the food at McDonald's reminds me of being back in school when you would pretend not to know the answer because you didn't want others to think you were "smart". Being smart back then had negative connotations. I think it was because people thought that you thought you were better than everyone else. Likewise, if you were to fess up and tell someone that you don't eat fast food very often and you haven't been to McDonald's in over a year, people start giving you excuses about why they go or they get defensive as if you are accusing them of being a bad parent. Sometimes they explain to me that it takes awhile for the children to get accustomed to the food, but sooner or later she'll like it. (Sorry if I think it's sad to push chicken nuggets and hamburgers on my child just to fit in). Or worse yet, they act like you are depriving your child of a mandatory experience. Believe me, if I just take my child to the local playground and I keep feeding her apples and milk, she will be just as happy.
People underestimate what kids will like. We recently took a weekend vacation with our daughter to hike at a wilderness sanctuary. She loved it. Before we left, a student of mine thought we should be taking her to more "touristy" places like Wisconsin Dells instead. As it turns out, my daughter loved hiking so much, we went back there the next day. After the first day of hiking, we planned to take our daughter to this bar/restaurant we heard about (but couldn't remember the name) that had a huge patio right by the river. One of the ladies that works at the nature center overheard us and thought we were talking about a supper club. She told us our daughter wouldn't like it there. It wasn't the same place, but when we described the restaurant we were planning to go to, she still looked disgusted. She told us that there was a McDonald's down the street and we should take her there because that's what the kids like. I thought she was going to have a heart attack when I told her, "My daughter doesn't like the food there, but thanks for the suggestion". We promptly left and ate at the restaurant we planned to eat at. We ate soup and homemade grilled chicken wraps while boats sailed by us. A bike path was between the river and the restaurant so there were many joggers/bikers/dog walkers passing by. Our daughter loved it. The next day we happened to drive past that supper club the lady had mentioned. We turned around. The supper club wasn't fancy, but it was right by the water. We ate there while the sun set over the bay. The service was wonderful, the prices were decent, and we had a variety of choices. We feasted on homemade bread and soup, and a salad bar which featured fresh fruits, vegetables, and a multitude of other options. My daughter was thrilled with just the salad bar. By the time the main course came, we were practically stuffed. We had plenty of leftovers for lunch the next day. The restaurant was child-friendly enough. It had a high chair and the staff and the other diners didn't care when my daughter babbled and laughed. In fact, she was an icebreaker between us and the couple next to us (whose children are now teenagers). My husband and I enjoyed the quality family time that we had at dinner. Our daughter loved it.
People underestimate what kids will like. We recently took a weekend vacation with our daughter to hike at a wilderness sanctuary. She loved it. Before we left, a student of mine thought we should be taking her to more "touristy" places like Wisconsin Dells instead. As it turns out, my daughter loved hiking so much, we went back there the next day. After the first day of hiking, we planned to take our daughter to this bar/restaurant we heard about (but couldn't remember the name) that had a huge patio right by the river. One of the ladies that works at the nature center overheard us and thought we were talking about a supper club. She told us our daughter wouldn't like it there. It wasn't the same place, but when we described the restaurant we were planning to go to, she still looked disgusted. She told us that there was a McDonald's down the street and we should take her there because that's what the kids like. I thought she was going to have a heart attack when I told her, "My daughter doesn't like the food there, but thanks for the suggestion". We promptly left and ate at the restaurant we planned to eat at. We ate soup and homemade grilled chicken wraps while boats sailed by us. A bike path was between the river and the restaurant so there were many joggers/bikers/dog walkers passing by. Our daughter loved it. The next day we happened to drive past that supper club the lady had mentioned. We turned around. The supper club wasn't fancy, but it was right by the water. We ate there while the sun set over the bay. The service was wonderful, the prices were decent, and we had a variety of choices. We feasted on homemade bread and soup, and a salad bar which featured fresh fruits, vegetables, and a multitude of other options. My daughter was thrilled with just the salad bar. By the time the main course came, we were practically stuffed. We had plenty of leftovers for lunch the next day. The restaurant was child-friendly enough. It had a high chair and the staff and the other diners didn't care when my daughter babbled and laughed. In fact, she was an icebreaker between us and the couple next to us (whose children are now teenagers). My husband and I enjoyed the quality family time that we had at dinner. Our daughter loved it.
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