Be Careful with Idle Promises

My four-year-old son Raphael is notoriously difficult to feed. You know the type: he'd rather play or watch TV or eat anything except the food on the table. It's different, of course, when he's really hungry or when his mother and I are around to watch him like a hawk, but even then he tends to pretend to eat while his food will trickle off his food and onto his plate. Considering how difficult he can be to feed, it's even harder to get him to try new food.

My father, to his credit, tried once, using a method that was doomed to spectacular failure, but which is destined to be a truly wonderful piece of family lore.

My father, my mother and my son were seated at the table eating lunch, when my father offered my son a certain dish that he hadn't tried before. True to character, my son obstinately refused, but my father played the salesman, guaranteeing the little boy's satisfaction.

"If you don't like it," my father, who my son refers to as 'Tatay' declared, "I'll eat my hat!"

Raphael then tasted the food, chewed a little bit of it, then refused to eat any more.

He then looked intently at my father, a grin breaking out on his face.

"Eat your hat now, Tatay!" he exclaimed.

And that is why we have to be careful what we promise our kids...