Mmmmm tasty...

You may not always admit it, but sometimes as a parent, you give your kids something simply for the entertainment value of watching them react to it. "Life is full of surprises," you might say. "I just want them to get used to that idea." But the truth is, what you want is the postable reaction shot, so Grandma and Grandpa can see how cute little Junior is crying in dismay because you stuck a fuzzy caterpillar on his face.

I remember Nate and I giving a certain baby named Thomas a piece of pickle once. Thomas, like all babies, was so eager to shove everything into his mouth before investigating and vetting the object that it was a constant source of amusement giving him strongly-flavored items. Ha ha! we bad parents thought, There he goes shoving it in his mouth again! He never learns! Thomas eager sucked the pickle, then stopped, then did that full body Ugh shimmy. Then of course, he grabbed the pickle again and shoved it back into his mouth. More shimmies followed. When you can't afford to go out, you can always stay home and do this to your children. Free fun.

Yesterday I was fixing Nate his Father's Day Burger, and simultaneously feeding Sethie his regular smash-up of veggies and fruits. I laid a slice of pickle on Nate's bun, then paused and glanced sideways at Seth noshing on squished bananas and peas. I even gave the pickle an extra dip into the jar juice, just to make sure it was packing a lot of oomph. "Nate!" I called. "Come see this! I'm going to give Sethie a pickle!" Side by side, we dangled the thing in front of Sethie's mouth. Out came the little tongue. We waited, thinking maybe we should have grabbed the camera. He tasted it.

And tasted it and tasted it and then forcefully grabbed it out of my hand and started munching on it. No face. No shimmy. Just an angry fist-pumping cry when I tried to take it back from him.

Curses, foiled again.

I'm sure soon enough Thomas will be telling me he smashed up my car, just to get the reaction shot on his cameraphone for his friends. Humiliaters beware--tables turn all the time. But maybe Sethie won't. Maybe this child is immune to our deviancy. All I know is that he's happy now in his high chair if there's a pickle on the tray.

I wonder if there are any fuzzy caterpillars in the yard.