When my oldest was a baby, she ate anything and everything. From all the greens (peas, broccoli, sprouts) to proteins like chicken, meat, and fish, to the baby basics of cheese, rice, and pasta. You name it, she ate it. The only exception for some reason was carrots. Whether cooked or uncooked, she was never a fan. But other than that, she was a Foodie’s dream!
But then something happened. She started to grow up. And I hated it!
By age two, I found myself jumping the most ridiculous of hoops to make dinner a smooth affair. From bribery (“eat this and I’ll let you watch Peppa Pig!”), to “deconstructed (kebab, taco, burger, basically anything)” to the “put everything on a chopstick” phase, cooking something that I’d hope she’d eat became a nightmare. With the exception of fruit which she never lost her love for, she just wouldn’t eat. Did her taste buds change? Was it her way of trying to control one of the few parts of her life that she had some agency in? I don’t know.
But it resulted in my cooking the same 3 or 4 dishes over and over again, and feeling like a failed parent for the lack of variety in my daughter’s diet.