The Chef Game

My son became a picky eater overnight. I have no idea what triggered the sudden change, or filled him with such conviction. But he no longer wanted to try new foods. He would turn up his adorable little nose and pout his mischievous little lips. He would refuse. He didn't seem to mind long standoffs. We, the parents, would ultimately win--barely. A tiny bite and we'd call it a victory, although my son probably counted it as his own victory, too.
Somewhere among the battles, I invented The Chef Game. I have no idea if it will work with other kids--it doesn't even work with mine 100% of times. But, when I remember it in time to avoid an all-out feet-in-the-mud you-can't-make-me battle, it works a satisfying percentage of times.

Intimidating Pralines

Here's how we play:
The child must take at least one bite of the new food. (But you can also play this game with known foods.) It can be any size bite. If the bite is minuscule, remind the child they will need enough of a taste to properly evaluate the food.
Now, the child must tell the adult:
Three things they like about the food, and three things they would change.

• The child may take as many additional bites as needed while deciding on these six things.
• The lists can be based on any aspect of the food.
• The child can't just say what they dislike--instead they must think of a way to make it better.
• The things to change can be improvements or just fun ways to make it different.

The "format" and order of the answers don't matter. It also doesn't matter if the ideas don't really make sense, if the suggestions are impossible or already being done, or anything else. If the kid comes up with ideas, be positive about them. The point of this game is to get the kid to give new things a chance. It might also help them think about the world, be a bit creative, and even implement some problem-solving to improve or transform a food they don't like even after trying it. It can also help kids realize one taste isn't always enough, because as my son is trying to think of a way to make an unpleasant food better, sometimes he will continue eating it, and end up actually liking it!
My son has said he would like to be a chef someday, but I'm hoping this could help some of you with your own picky eaters, even if they have no culinary aspirations.

Suspicious Lunch Meat

A few of my son's chef game results:

Hard Salami
Likes:

• Looks like pepperoni
• Tastes like pepperoni
• The chewiness

Changes:

• Shrink it a little
• Make it not as shiny
• Make it part of a 200-decker sandwich

General Tso's Chicken
Likes:

• Color
• Size
• Chewiness

Changes:

• A little less spice
• Put it on a stick with a hamburger and mac & cheese
• Carve the Pirates "P" logo into them

Praline Pecans
Likes:

• "I liked that there was a surprise--I literally didn't know there was a nut"
• Cinnamon
• It looks like a rock in the darkness

Changes:

• Wouldn't put a nut inside, instead change the nut to chocolate
• Would put a chocolate covering on it
• Change the shape to a brown doggy

Broccoli in sauce
Likes:

• The color green
• The sauce
• The crunch

Changes:

• Add ten hundred pounds of cheese
• Change it from looking like a tree to make it look like a doggy
• Cool it down more by putting it in the freezer for ten days and not heat it up

Mini Gherkins
Likes:

• Shape
• Color
• Taste

Changes:

• No sticks [stems]
• A lot less salt
• Put them in a marshmallow in a s'more

🎶🎶🎶 Random dancing! 🕺🕺🕺

In case you are looking for cute dance-able music for young kids, here are two songs that are almost-guaranteed to get my kids to stop fighting/complaining/whining & start dancing!

1. The Goldfish by The Laurie Berkner Band
2. Pop See Ko by Koo Koo Kangaroo

Maybe your kids will like them, too.

Other songs are also loved by our family. But these two seem to most consistently (right now) get my boys moving and grooving. My youngest son has a whole routine (created by himself) for The Goldfish, and we like to occasionally (and usually quite randomly) call out to each other and start our round of Pop See Ko. Most significantly, if I hear grumpiness happening in my house, I can just pull up one of those songs, and get a dance party started!

This concludes this brief musical blog post. 😃

My Kid Likes Pink

My daughter loves the color pink. She's only 3 years old, but she knows what she likes. If you ask her, she'll tell you: "I like all the colors. (She'll then proceed to list as many colors as she can think of and/or see.) But pink is my favorite!"

She also loves to dance and take care of her baby dolls. She's a big fan of Disney Princesses. She usually doesn't want to get dirty or play with bugs. She enjoys puppets, playing dress-up, watching silly kids shows, and trying new foods. She likes singing, helping me cook, pretending to cook, and building things with blocks. She even loves giving kisses and hugs. My daughter also likes to sword fight, and occasionally tackle her younger brother. She talks about fixing cars. She likes to watch baseball and football and hockey and basketball--she likes playing them all, too. She likes collecting acorns, is great at video games, and loves Spider-Man and other super heroes.

Is there anything wrong with this? Of course not! But the stuff I wrote about my daughter isn't true. I don't even have a daughter. The stuff I wrote is true...except it's about my son.

My son likes to sword fight, and occasionally tackle his younger brother. He talks about fixing cars. He likes to watch baseball and football and hockey and basketball--he likes playing them all, too. He likes collecting acorns, is great at video games, and loves Spider-Man and other super heroes. He enjoys puppets, playing dress-up, watching silly kids shows, and trying new foods. He likes singing, helping me cook, pretending to cook, and building things with blocks. He even loves giving kisses and hugs. He also loves to dance and take care of his baby dolls. He's a big fan of Disney Princesses. He usually doesn't want to get dirty or play with bugs.
My son also loves the color pink. He's only 3 years old, but he knows what he likes. If you ask him, he'll tell you: "I like all the colors. (He'll then proceed to list as many colors as he can think of and/or see.) But pink is my favorite!"

Is there anything wrong with that? Of course not! But I know some people do think there are things wrong with it. Maybe even wrong with him. My son isn't perfect, but he's not flawed because he likes to do pirouettes and one of his favorite TV characters is a big pink monster with a flower on her head.
When a little girl is a "tomboy," it's cute--even something to admire. Break that glass ceiling, girl. Don't let anyone say you can't do or like something just because you're a girl. And there are no "off-limits" colors for girls. I know several boys who like pink. They would wear pink shirts, and play with pink toys--except their parents won't let them, or their "friends" would tease them. My little dancer boy wants to wear pink. I want to buy him pink things to wear because I want my son to be happy. If he changes his mind some day, and likes another color instead, it will be easier. But primarily because pink clothes for boys are so difficult to find. (Why does almost every pink shirt have to have cap sleeves or those little dart things on the shoulders? Plus all those bows, and so much lace!) If he likes pink forever, that's fine with me, too. No matter what his favorite color is, I want him to have so much confidence he'll never feel he should give up something he loves just because other people think it's weird.