9

To go back, click here.

"Well," the mother said, "I'll be honest. I went to the good witch, since I was worried about you, and she gave me alternatives to veggies, so that you can still get all the stuff you need to make you a healthy, growing girl, without having to fight about you actually eating your vegetables." The mother watched the little girl carefully, to see what effect her words had, but the little girl's face remained curious. 

     "This is a fruit shake, with a couple vitamins added in. I was going to try it before I gave you one, to see if it tastes okay; I don't want to just trade one fight for another. Would you like to try it with me?" the mother asked. The little girl thought about it for a moment, her eyes taking in all the stuff laid out on the countertops, and nodded her head, cautiously. The mother turned the blender off, poured what was inside it into two cups, and raised her glass in a silent "cheers" movement. The little girl solemnly did the same and took a sip.

     Her mother watched in concern as the little girl's eyes got wide, and then relief swept through her as the little girl continued drinking. Setting the cup down with a happy sigh, the little girl smiled at her mother and said, "That was delicious! Thank you so much! Could we maybe make another one with some of the pineapple I see on the counter, too?" The mother gave her an answering smile, and the two of them spent the afternoon making smoothies, content in the knowledge that dinner time would no longer be a fight, and the little girl would grow up healthy.

Moral of the story: Consider alternatives.