naked notes

Photo courtesy of mamassage on Flickr

Not too long ago I was visiting with a friend I hadn’t seen her in over 3 years, and much has changed for both of us since then.  It was also absolutely incredible to get to visit with her now 7 year old son who was so loving and welcoming.  But aside from hearing the regular tales of his childhood, I was incredibly excited to be informed about the opportunities he has been given to get in the garden this summer, and how much he has loved growing vegetables.

Sitting at the kitchen table, I was presented with the fruit of his labor.  It was a BIG (and I mean big!) zucchini.  And while many kids might look at a guest as an opportunity to have mom serve up some special (i.e. unhealthy) treats, he wanted nothing more than to slice open that zucchini so that we could all enjoy it together.  This moment truly warmed my heart in more ways than I could possibly express.

Do kids really hate vegetables?  Or is it just that, in our modern society, we have all lost a connection to food that can be translated to the next generation?  Are we giving up and giving in to the relentless marketing that comes with “kid food” on the shelves?  What would happen if more of us were to take our kids to visit a farm, to start a small garden in our yards and have them help tend to it, or even use window boxes if a garden isn’t practical?  Kids love to play – and let’s face it kids love to play in dirt.  What if we could turn this “inconvenience” into a learning opportunity to help them understand and even participate in the process of how we get our food?  What if we could give each child a chance to grow their own big zucchini and experience the pride that comes with sharing that success with their family members and guests?

I may not have children of my own, but I feel an immense passion and obligation to help educate today’s youth about healthy eating.  I can only imagine the frustration of the parents who try and try to get their children to eat fruits and vegetables, but end up having to give into junk food just simply to get them to eat at all.  I don’t envy the challenges they face in battling the cartoon characters on sugary cereal boxes and the commercials for junk food permeating their kids’ favorite TV shows.  So maybe it’s time to stop fighting this battle on the TV and in the supermarkets.

Consider what it might mean for your children if they were to visit a farm and pick their own food.  Or better yet get to grow it while playing in the backyard?  What a gift it could be for both of you to experience this together, and what a moment it could be for you as a mom or dad to have your child ask at the next snack time to slice up that big zucchini.  It may not replace the calls for chips and cookies and soda, but it’s a start.  Let’s do all we can to provide our kids today the knowledge and experiences around food that might just support the choices they make in the future, and might make dinner time just a little bit easier!

Category: NY Eat IN

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