Maryland Conservatarian

It seems that no matter what we do nowadays, there exists a cadre of “experts” ready to tell us we’re wrong. This must be especially true for parents for whom there are seemingly enough “experts” out there to convince them that before they even bring the child home from the hospital they’ve probably already screwed up her life.

So it was of little surprise to find that even parental tricks to get their kids to eat vegetables are frowned upon by “many experts”.

“Then there's the other approach: Sneak it in.

“And although that's certainly an appealing tactic for anxious parents, many experts don't think it's such a great idea.” Hiding Veggies In Food: Benefit Or Betrayal?

Listening to these “experts”, one might surmise that sneaking vegetables into a kid’s food is roughly akin to cheating on your wife or voting Republican.

“The practice of adding a little sugar to make foul-tasting medicine go down is as well-known as the tune Mary Poppins sang to popularize it. But when it comes to food, that strategy sends the wrong message -- and risks creating an atmosphere of mistrust among children.”

Wait, there’s more:

" "Betrayed" is how registered dietitian and therapist Ellyn Satter puts it. "Kids almost always catch on eventually," notes Satter... "Kids are smart. They'll figure it out. And when they do," she says, "they not only feel betrayed, but patronized."

“And they may wonder: If mom does this, what else does she do?”

[long, protracted eye-roll]

Yeah, I remember my many years of therapy and the estrangement I experienced after finding out about Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. And I shudder to think about the long-term impact on this generation when they learn the truth about that oversized SpongeBob they met at a mall opening.

Side Notes: I am going to presume these admonishments against parental deception do not apply to forced viewings of An Inconvenient Truth.