Green things better watch out!

I'm feeling a little smug. I'm feeling a bit like a superior parent. Not only do my kids eat their veggies, they like them, and sometimes, they LOVE them.

In our house there are few battles over eating the green stuff. For example, tonight, when I put dinner on the table, I said "Salmon and broccoli" and Little Dog enthusiastically agreed "bwo-cree!" And if you like that reaction, show the boy a brussel sprout. The very veggie that is used to illustrate the parental struggle for dietary control of their children brings unmitigated joy to this child. If he spies a net bag of sprouts in the veggie drawer he pulls them out and tries to pry them free. It isn't until his first raw bite when he realizes they aren't yet cooked that I can pry them out of his hands, and then only to hear him scream "Sprow, sprow!"

And it isn't just Little Dog. Big Dog eats his veggies too. When he was younger, while other kids were begging for chocolate bars, he would gnaw on the bags of frozen broccoli in the cart at Trader Joe's. Even now, when we go grocery shopping he excitedly explores the produce department with an enthusiasm that causes other shoppers to stop and do a double take.
On one recent trip, while he was demanding that I buy "more cauliflower and wait, more broccoli. Ooh apples, and mushrooms!" a fellow shopper commented "I wish my son would even consider eating any of that. Lucky you!"

Another time, while we were eating "gourmet" pizza with his best friend and his mother, Big Dog opted for slices of the Greek pizza, covered in red onions and spinach. "Big Dog, you're not going to like that" warned his friend.
"Sure I will," replied Big Dog, innocent to the fact that he is a culinary oddity for his age group. He then proceeded to eat two large slices, loving every bite of it.

I don't know what I did to deserve such good eaters, but I secretly chalk it up to "excellent parenting." But don't quote me on that. I'll never admit to making such conceited claims.