You Water Your Plants, But What Are You Feeding Your Child?”

A few days ago, I came across a powerful image on Facebook that really made me pause.

At the top, there’s a hand offering a bottle of water to a plants below, there’s another hand a can of soft drink to a child.

And the message hit hard:

If you give this to plants, then why are you giving this to your kids?”

Think twice …………….!!

As I saw this image, it reminded me of an old conversation. A couple of days ago, I visited the hospital for my toddler’s vaccination. While I was waiting, there was another family sitting nearby. Their child and mine started playing together.

During our conversation, "Another mother asked me what kind of food I give to my child. She also shared her own experience—and honestly, I was surprised." She told me that her child now prefers soft drinks and pizza and she gives because her child refuses to eat roti (flatbread), curry, or even curd, which she used to love. She said her daughter once enjoyed curd so much, but now she just doesn't want to.

Shocking, isn’t it? But to be honest, it’s not really the child’s fault. Children don’t know what’s good or bad for their health. It's a parent's responsibility. This isn't about judging anyone- it's just a reminder for all of us, including me also.

Instead of giving unhealthy food to your child, try offering them healthy options. Just because they refuse once or twice doesn’t mean you should immediately turn to junk food. Kids often take time to accept new tastes—it’s part of the process. Be patient and consistent.

The key point here is that parents need to follow the same eating habits. If you're sitting in front of your child eating pizza or pasta, and at the same time asking them to eat pumpkin soup—what do you think will happen? Will they eat it happily? Of course not. they wouldn’t either. Children eat what they see. They copy us. If we want them to make healthy choices, we need to show them how.

Let me share a personal story. When my daughter was 8 months old, I introduced her to mangoes. She loved them! She happily sucked the juice and enjoyed it. But the next summer, when she was around 19 months , I offered her mango again—and she refused. She just smelled it and threw it away.

Instead of forcing her, I simply started eating mangoes myself in front of her. I would offer her some casually, without pressure. One day, she took a bite and said, “Mamma, it's yummy! Give more, please!” This taught me something important: sometimes, children reject food not because they dislike it permanently, but because of mood, timing, or unfamiliarity. When they see us enjoying healthy food, they often feel encouraged to try it again.

Here’s another example: My daughter has loved bananas since she started eating solids. I never gave her chocolate, chips, Maggi, noodles, pizza, pasta, or even biscuits. Not because I was strict—but because I don’t eat those things myself. So she never asked for them either. When we went to supermarkets, she would ask for bananas, apples, or carrots instead of chocolates but when we moved to a new city. On our evening walks, people sometimes offered her chocolates or biscuits. She also saw other kids eating them. Slowly, I noticed she started asking for chocolate—and even stopped eating bananas. She cried for chocolates sometimes. I didn’t panic. I allowed her to have a little—never a full bar. Slowly, I found balance again.

What does this tell us?

Kids don’t always say no because they don’t like something forever. Their food choices depend on mood, taste, and what they see around them. If we keep eating healthy food in front of them without forcing, they often get curious and try it again.

Why does this happen?

Because kids don’t know anything about nutrition. Their choices are based on taste and experience. Junk foods like pizza, chocolate, and soft drinks are full of strong, exciting flavour's—sweet, salty, cheesy, spicy. For toddlers, whose taste buds are very sensitive, these foods feel “ Wow’’ in the brain. After that, simple foods like banana, curd, or mango feel “boring” because they don’t give the same “wow” feeling.

What can we do as parents?

Don’t stop offering healthy food—even if your child refuses at first.

Eat with them. When they see you enjoying something, they’ll get curious and may try it again.

Don’t ban junk food completely. If they see it around, allow a small amount occasionally—but don’t make it a habit.

Kids Are Like Plants

If a healthy plant suddenly looks dull, would you pour chocolate syrup or sugar water on it? No—you’d give it water, sunlight, and the right care so it can grow again. Likewise, just as we care for our plants with pure water to help them grow well, shouldn’t we be even more careful with our children—who are growing not just physically, but also mentally, emotionally, and forming lifelong habits?"