Early Years (2-6)

It’s a common complaint: Parents can’t get children to eat. Or, if we can, we can’t get them to eat what we want them to eat, which often translates into what we eat. Indeed, a de-facto segregation often exists at mealtimes: adult food over here, children’s food over there. Children are often reluctant to try food that is new and different. Families may share meals (though that is growing rare), but increasingly, we don’t share the same food.

It’s time for a rhetoric lesson, as well as a culinary one. So, what would Aristotle do? The ancient Greek philosopher advocated 3 approaches for persuasion: ethos, logos and pathos. How might these classic approaches persuade Little Ari to eat his spinach pie? Let’s see.

> Logos (appeal to logic)
I cleverly remind Aristotle Jr. that there was indeed a time when even chocolate was new to him. You’ve never seen chocolate before, I tell him. Imagine if you refused to try chocolate just because it was new to you? (Substitute strawberries, pizza, bananas, or your child’s favorites.) This may be too cruel a thought: His eyes widen with horror. So, in honor of the chocolate that may have never been tried, we’ve institutionalized the new food rule: just try 3 bites.

> Pathos (appeal to emotion)
Pride, humor, accomplishment and satisfaction work best here. What would happen if you ate only round food? What would have if you didn’t eat any green food? What would happen if, like your cousin, you ate only white food? Yikes.

> Ethos (appeal based on credibility and authority)
Expertise is pretty personal at age 5. So, I ask his dad what his favorite foods are, sort of casually. Helpfully, daddy rattles off exotics, which seem to put things in some perspective: Fava beans, clams, cherimoya. Yum. But the little guy’s the real expert, of course, so we ask him to create his own list. Well, I reason, if you like those things, wouldn’t it be great to like even more? fam

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