I would be willing to bet that almost every parent has uttered the phrase, " I am not running a restaurant" - I would be willing to bet that even the parents who actually run a restaurant, do not feed their kids that way. It is impossible to run a family and cook each person a different breakfast, a different lunch and a different dinner.
" You get what you get, and you don't throw a fit" probably originated at the dinner table.
But studies are finding that children who eat better have parents who eat better. On this journey to love a healthier life, I have been the one lagging behind, I am the one with doubts, the one with weird food hang-ups and the one who resists change the most. It is probably because I have had my bad habits the longest.
Our kids are open to trying new things, they are brave and adventurous and if we didn't put all our anxiety on them, they'd lead us the way into healthy lifestyles. Kids love to play, when did we as adults stop playing? When I take my kids to the farmer's market, they want to discover everything, they want to feel it and smell it and taste it. I am the one thinking, " I have heard that ____ is really bad / strange / yucky"
Not only are our children great examples to us, but they inspire us. I want my children to leave long lives, full of health that allows them to be anything they want to be. By choosing to provide them food that is unhealthy, I am not only depriving their bodies of nutrition that they need, but I am planting the seeds for bad habits that will last a lifetime.
I struggle still in my quest to be a healthier person. I struggle with being active and having a piece for fruit instead of an ice cream. But I am motivated for my children. There are lots of things I won't do for myself, but I will do for my children. These choices aren't easy ones, and I am certainly not always perfect, but the people that I am doing it for are the most important people in the world and they are helping me to be a better person for myself and them.
