Everything tastes better off of mommas plate!

Kids learn by example and actions speak louder than words. No matter how hard you try sometimes you just can't convince a child that what is on their plate is really edible.

No matter how hard you try to convince a child something on your own plate is too hot or too unusual for them to like it, they must have it. Azteca hot sauce for instance. As soon as they start nibbling chips and seeing everyone else eat that salsa in the family, they must have some. Pretty soon they are dipping their own and eating spoonfuls. Granted the stuff we have here in Washington State tends to be pretty tame compared to what I grew up on in Arizona.

I was the same way. Every time my mom came home with a new vegetable she only had one serving. She would sware up and down that we just would not like it. Only one time can I remember trying what she was eating and both my sisters and I said the same thing... she could have it ALL. That was cow tongue. I'm sure had she fixed it in stew it would have been fine, but the meat was so bitter and the look so strange, we never got past that hurdle. Then again maybe she slipped up by not being more stingy with it. I don't think she liked it either. Maybe we clued into that.

We had an incredible exposure to foods of all types. As a result we are able to eat a wide variety of vegetables and food types. I also found picky eaters a bit hard to tolerate till I realized later on that foods taste different to different people. Textures, colors, flavors, smells all combine to make a strong impression of nourishment. I eat Brussels sprouts on occasion just to expose the kids to them but don't really enjoy them much. A little lime and Braggs Amino Acids covers a multitude of bitter tastes.

Spiritually what is on your platter day after day. What kind of visual materials are you feeding your mind? What we feed our minds we teach our kids to desire. Obviously we want to teach our kids about God, and Torah observance. But do we get caught savoring the word in a private moment. Do they stumble across us memorizing scriptures. Do they see us sneaking off for some prayer and bible with tea?

When we Love God we seek to obey his Torah and the love of God is manifested in our lives and demonstrated to our children. Are you more interested in spiritual junk food or baby sitting you kids with tv and movies than building healthy spiritual character?

I think I need to look at our home and as Pasach approaches remove some of the candy fluff movies and the bubbling mass of entrainment junk food we have become accustomed to. Box it up in the attic and live without it a week. Maybe it will give us all a more focused perspective on our spiritual lives.

Bananna

Proverbs 10:17
He who heeds discipline shows the way to life, but whoever ignores correction leads others astray.