It’s a good thing my parents don’t read my blog. If they did, they’d have to endure all the references to my childhood diet of Steak-umms, cherry Kool-Aid, the canned corned beef (and of course, my mom would have to relive the Chocolate Milk Incident).
Sam helps my mom pick garden carrots.
But after spending several days with them at my childhood home in Pennsylvania, I’m reminded of all the ways they’ve shaped my eating habits for the better.
So thanks, Mom and Dad, for…
- growing a vegetable garden every year (and letting me plan and plant my own patch when I wanted to).
- serving salad nearly every night with dinner.
- never forcing me to sit at the table until I took a bite of lima beans or other hated food.
- teaching me what a reasonable portion looks like by plating all the food at the stove.
- discouraging us from overeating by making only enough food for the meal.
- stocking the house with fresh fruits and vegetables.
- telling me to eat only until I was full and never, ever demanding that I clean my plate.
My parents' garden
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Great strategies by the ‘rents. How did your parents know how to do this, Sally?
Great post! Steak-ummms and Faygo were two of my father’s four food groups. The other two were pierogies and ju-jubees. He hailed from Philly. Wonder if this is a PA thing? Oh, I just thought of a fifth: scrapple.
Oh, I ate a lot of pierogies growing up too (made from scratch by my grandma, natch).
My fiance definitely came from the ‘casserole and steakumms ‘ family. He had never tried berries before we started dating and I had never heard of a steakumm. BUT his family did have a garden which he loves to do now. Way to look at the positives!
I can’t imagine never having eaten berries! My husband didn’t know the difference between a plum and an apricot–and to this day, he still hasn’t tried either of them. Alas!
I love this post because it brings back memories of my own dinner table experiences growing up: me sitting there for hours, crying, because I had to clean my plate before I could leave. I vowed to never do that to my own child. Thanks for the great tips!
Thanks Christy. I know a lot of people had that experience. Parents meant well, but it strategy completely backfires every time. Luckily your son won’t have to endure it!