Never give up!

When I was a kid, tomatoes were high on the list of foods I hated. I still don't like them much, but I do eat them if they come with something I order. They're good for you and all.

Sometimes our morning snack for the kindy kids includes cherry tomatoes. Some of the kids love them, but quite a few are more like I was at their age. One of the boys is particularly firm about it all - a few weeks ago, I persuaded him to eat his tomato, and doing so made him cry. So I was less forceful with him this morning when it was once again Tomato Day, but I did put one on his plate and encourage him - gently! - to eat it.

He got as far as putting it in his mouth, but wouldn't bite on it. He just kept it between his cheek and teeth for the rest of snack time. Oh well, I figured, sooner or later he'd eat it just to get it over with. Or at worst, he'd spit it out.

Two hours later, we were getting the kids ready for lunch. I shepherded them all into the bathroom to wash their hands. As Oliver was on his way back out to the classroom, I noticed he still had that bulge in his mouth.

"Do you still have that tomato?!"

He grinned and opened his mouth. The peel was still intact!

I think he finally got it down along with his lunch, but it's hard to tell for sure. He proved to be pretty good at hiding it!