Last night, my daughter got her first taste of boxed macaroni and cheese. My husband jokingly said that it was the gateway drug to every chicken nugget, grilled cheese, plain pizza kid-food that she would ever eat. I laughed and watched her reaction to see if I could tell if she was instantly addicted to pasta. I was only a little bit worried that he was right.

This got me thinking about the idea of a magic moment that makes our kids picky or makes it impossible for them to go to sleep on their own. Whenever I have to do something extra to help my daughter with these “worrisome” tasks (like eating and sleeping), I find myself concerned that I’m creating a monster <RAH!>. But is there really one moment that creates picky-ness?

Must I entirely avoid certain foods to ensure that my daughter continues her vegetable eating life? Or will she get a taste of sugar one day and think, “Now that I know this exists, why would I ever eat anything green again?!”

Many parents who I’ve met through the years have already slid down that slippery slope. They find themselves having to accommodate kids who will only eat this or will only wear that. I’m sure that there was a beginning to this choosiness, but I would like to convince myself that it came about as a result of many decisions made along the way. I don’t think that letting her taste ice cream means that now she’ll only eat that. Right? Because the only way she can only eat ice cream is if that’s the only thing I give her.

It’s hard to stand up to kids who will not branch out and in some cases we don’t need to force them to do something different- like wear a different shirt to school (unless said shirt is so dirty as to be unwearable). But in other cases, it’s our job to help them be healthy and somewhat well-rounded. So we can’t allow them to entirely dictate what they will and won’t eat or when they will and won’t bathe. At the same time, we needn’t be afraid of allowing them to stay up a little late or eat some ice cream for fear of them demanding these things from us in the future. We help them make habits. And one fleeting taste of macaroni and cheese isn’t going to create a powdered cheese monster.