Recently we had to have our son’s hand x-rayed. It’s amazing to see the insides of anyone, let alone your child’s. He’s almost four and did you know that bones are still forming at that age? Inside his hand are big gaps between his finger bones, where the joints are. That’s all still cartilage. His joints have yet to harden into firm bone. Amazing isn’t it?
When you have children feeding them is a hot topic. Formula versus breast milk. Home made baby food vs. gerber. You always try and do the very best that you can for your infant. And then they grow up a bit and with each passing day you get a tad more lax about what you feed them. A little bit of chocolate won’t hurt, a cookie for breakfast? Well, okay, just this once. You sort of forget that they are still growing and forming.
But getting that peek inside of him was such a reminder. The visual that he is still in the process of forming bones was a call to order to make sure that he’s getting all the nutrients he needs, and the healthiest ones we can provide.
At the opposite end of the spectrum I visited my 89 year old grandma yesterday who’s been struggling with increasing demensia. We were planning out her move to an assisted living facility. Seeing her progressively slow down both in her movements and in her mind is hard. And you wonder, maybe if she ate more greens, maybe if she avoided eating vegetables sprayed with modern day pesticides, maybe if she didn’t apply Round Up in her yard, maybe she would have stronger bones and stronger eye sight and a stronger memory.
I don’t know. But I do know that we are all so fragile no matter our age. So we should eat well. Okay? And let’s feed each other well. Let’s do the best we can. Maybe we can’t eat locally and organically with every meal and every bite, but we can do our best. Let’s do it for the little ones who’s bones are still forming, for the old ones who’s bones are breaking down. And let’s do it for ourselves so we keep ourselves strong.
So beautifully stated! We get one chance at this thing we call life – so my attitude is enjoy it while we are here. And that means eating the best darn food we can get our hands on. And teaching our young ones how to nourish their bodies and minds and even like the food they are eating. So often children are told they “must” eat their veggies but imagine if they actually were taught about them and liked them- instead of forced into it. I know it’s not always going to be perfect – kids are kids, but when it doesn’t come out of a can- there’s a good chance they will actually like it.
I completely agree! I get sideways looks when I give my 2 year old banana “icecream”, which is just frozen bananas pureed up, and oh you should have seen the looks when I made her sweet potato icing for her birthday (banana and orange juice) cupcakes. Having a garden really helps with the veggie consumption, as you blogged about before. Last night Libby was taking bites out of a cucumber right from the garden. Thanks for the insight, and the reminder again that we should take stock of everything we put into our and our children’s bodies. Great picture, too. It’s a look into the future for me of my little fair haired boy.
oh I am so guilty of “just this once!”
When I do get lazy, I also remind myself about the water table, the social and economic implications of dirty farming, and everytime a crop duster is flying around I think about our air.
I love this post! Such a good reminder and and excellent visual of my 2 year old’s hand as my pulse point.
Thank you
So true. Unfortunately it’s tough to get the kids to try new veggies. We eat them and try to get the to just TRY them, but alas, nothing yet. /sigh
Suggestions are always welcome if you’ve got good ideas,hehe
I found this blog from an “automatically generated possibly related” link on my own. I love it, and I love this post. It sadly only gets more and more difficult to feed kids well as time goes on. There is the soda-only birthday party. The skittles employed by enterprising math teachers. The party favors, the well-meaning relatives, the gas station attendants who hand lollipops through windows. I wrote a little piece on this over at the ethicurean, (which is a site that I’d bet you’ll love, if you haven’t yet discovered it): http://www.ethicurean.com/2008/02/15/crap-food/
Thanks for such a great post, and blog!
Sorry to hear your grandmother is not herself. Hopefully she is thriving in her new home.