Shades of Green

I Was Banned from Brussel Sprouts

But no one said anything about kale…

Popular greens in our family include Jolly Ranchers, sour patch watermelons or apple taffy. Inserting healthy sophisticated leafy greens into the boys diet has been somewhat of an, ahem, challenge.

I made brussel sprouts on several occasions several different ways including leafed out, salted and baked like potato chips and fried and tossed with aged balsamic and Romano cheese. Unanimous thumbs down amongst the short people.

Finally, they made me swear I’d never make them again.

However, as I was debating this evening what to give Leo and Finn with the grilled chicken we were making I had a radical idea that I figured would surely be met with moans, rolled eyes and potentially bodies heaved to the ground in protest.

What if… I served them what Joe and I were eating with the chicken? Massaged kale salad with shaved parmesan, halved grapes and lemon Caesar dressing?

Leo asked how much of he’d have to eat. Small plate I answered. He agreed. Shocking. And Finn said he’d love to try it. Jaw-dropping. It is that time of the month so they are all just the tiniest bit terrified of me. But still.

Leo gags easily. Very easily.

So lets’ just say I did not have high hopes.

He ate the whole salad. Said he liked it! But, it would be better without the cheese. Finn suggested American cheese might be a better choice. GAG! But… they ate it! And liked it!

This is an outrageous coup. One of our family credo’s is: try everything once. But I had kind of thrown the towel in on pretty much all dark green vegetables except broccoli, which they do manage to eat.

It’s hard to be the Chairwoman of Unpopular Good-for-You Initiatives.

To see the fake smiles and empty nods of miserable willingness.

But if I don’t, pizza will prevail along with chocolate milkshakes and grilled cheese sandwiches.

It doesn’t stop with greens. Today, which when this publishes will be yesterday is day two of our seven minute mindful awareness practice. It began as, one of mom’s great ideas, but after the first time, they completely it.

There is more room. Inside. Outside. Between us.

It’s a long game, this parenting thing. Hardest for me, I think, because their struggles mirror my own. And so we are kind of raising each other. Except I know more about leafy greens and life-saving strategies for finding space.