So, what is harder than getting my 6-year-old to wear a mask? A lot of stuff!

Maybe it helps that I make his masks, and he gets to choose the fabrics. And he understands that to go to his dad’s, or the store, or to grandma’s, he has to wear his mask. And the adults in his life all wear one. Whatever the reason, it’s been easier than changing his food preferences. And since we - like everyone else - had trouble getting certain foods during the shutdown, food issues created some challenges, and some delightful successes.

More than a year ago, I tried an organic ketchup. It was a total failure. And since the meats James likes are all eaten by him with ketchup, it is a condiment I try to have plenty of. But we hit a snag during the shutdown, and we ran out. I did have lots of tomato paste. So I dug up a homemade ketchup recipe. He hated it.

There is a social media meme circulating, showing a name brand ketchup bottle half full of sugar. I took the time to read the back of the bottle when we had that brand in the house again. No, it is not 50 percent sugar, but it does have two type of corn syrup in it. No, I am not going to try remaking the homemade version with corn syrup. First of all, yuck! Second, some battles just aren’t worth fighting.

Still, we have made some progress during the shutdown. I found a tomato sauce recipe that I adapted slightly, and everyone likes it. And thanks to my writing job, I was able to purchase a farm share, and James is trying new vegetables. To my pleased surprise, he likes bok choy! But the pancakes with peach bits were not a hit. He seems to like veggies more than fruits.

Chicken is another challenge, since he prefers it in nugget form. I finally found a recipe for nuggets made with ground chicken and panko crumbs that he enjoyed. And he has even tried a little bit of unbreaded chicken, though it still is not his preference.

He didn’t like the homemade toaster pastries at all, but his brother enjoyed them.

I’ve heard it can take four to eight tastings to acquire a liking for a food. It’s not that different from encouraging a child to wear a face mask. Try a little at a time, and maybe different types, until they get used to it.

Stay safe!