I often lament the fact that I never taught my sons how to cook.  But today I want to redeem myself a little.  In spite of having missed the boat in the teaching department I did accomplish some other good things.  My boys aren’t afraid of trying new things.  In fact, often times they seek out new and different food items and I’m proud of that fact.

Many years ago, during Spring break, we went to France with our youngest son.  He was 17 at the time.  We ate out for every meal, and without exception Paul ordered things he had never had before.  And trust me there are some pretty strange things to choose from on a French menu.  I admired his bravery and I’m going to take the credit for this and this is why.

When my boys were young, we lived on a tight budget.  I was a full time mother and homemaker and in spite of being only a one income family, we ate well.  Not because I bought fancy foods but because I made everything from scratch.  And it worked out well because I had all day to do that.  The three of us would typically do the family grocery shopping together and quite often I would let them choose some interesting vegetable or fruit to take home.  They enjoyed that.  I particularly remember them choosing an artichoke.  It was a blast learning how to cook and eat it.  And I’ll never forget the first time we cut into a star fruit.  That was an experience.

Take your children grocery shopping and let them select things they’d like to try.  If you’re in business you know that people love the feeling of ownership and are more likely to participate and get excited about something.  Together, figure out how to eat or prepare it.  Make it an adventure.  If they are involved in the selection and learning process they might be more apt to eat it.