Mealtime persuasion

As I was making quesadillas for lunch today, I was reminded of a couple of times I've been able to persuade Mister J to eat foods he wasn't so sure about.

Mister J used to eat just about anything, and still has some favorites that raise eyebrows among other parents we know. Hummus, for example. Salsa, even if it's a bit spicy. Cucumbers and carrots - dipped in the hummus or not. Edamame.

There are also a few things he doesn't really care for, and even we don't understand. Corn - just doesn't excite him at mealtime. Guacamole - he used to eat it, but doesn't anymore. Oranges - will only eat the mandarins that come out of a can, not the 'real' thing.

Last spring/summer, our Costco had beautiful blueberries - Miss M would eat a bowlful, Mister J wouldn't touch them. Was it wrong of me to tell him that eating them would keep his eyes blue? It got him to try them, and now he loves them! (Check out this and this for evidence of my success.) Now, every time we go to Costco, Mister J asks if we can get some blueberries - and most of the time we do.

Getting him excited about refried beans was just as sneaky, but I'm not as likely to get busted for this like I will when he finds out the blueberries don't really make his eyes blue. I've already mentioned that he likes hummus. Not too long ago, on another day when I was making quesadillas for lunch, I explained to Mister J that refried beans were very much like hummus - both are made from beans. He was willing to give it a try, and now likes to help me spread the beans on the tortillas when we make quesadillas.

I wonder if these 'lessons' will become one of those things that he says he'll never do when he's a parent, but ends up doing anyway. Oh, yes - I've had to eat my words. Even some unspoken ones. Haven't we all?