July 13, 2004 - Tuesday
I haven't figured this out yet. I know that a lot of what I child decides he likes or doesn't like to eat is predestined by the visual impression he has or mood he is in before the food is even tasted. It seems like one ought to be able to crreate a positive expectation to make things work out better, but I haven't succeeded with that too many times. For example, we were out tonight at a Mexican restaurant mommy and I used to go to all the time when we lived at the old house and got a quesadilla for the boys to share. Tortilla and cheese, what's not to like?

"I don't like it," Harry said as soon as we put a piece on his plate.
"How do you know? You haven't even tried it," I said, knowing that hope of a smooth dinner was mostly lost, but plodding ahead anyway.
"No, I don't like it," he said with a big pouty whine.
"That's very silly, Harry, you need to at least try it."
Eventually he put a piece into his mouth and, almost before his hand moved away, he again insisted, "I don't like it," in a voice that was noticeably altered to sound more sincere.
"Oh, c'mon, Harry, you didn't even taste it yet. Now you're just being silly."
immediately, within a second, said "I don't like it." "You didn't even taste it yet, Harry."

Of course, it was really too late for him to admit otherwise. And, he actually did eat four or so more bites after we gave him a choice between that and some of our dinenrs, and he didn't seem to mind it all that much (although that's just my suspicion). Still, it was all predictable. What could we have done to get him to like it before he tried it? I might like to think that his constant requests to go out to a "special dinner" would be enough to get him to react a little better when we do, but even that is logically a little far fetched for a child.


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