You Don’t Have to Like it, but You Do Have to Try It

There’s a rule in our house that gets repeated almost as often as “wash your hands” and “shoes off at the door”: You don’t have to like it, but you do have to try it.

It started as a parenting tactic to get our kids to stop writing off entire food groups after a single bite. But the more we stuck with it, the more it became a philosophy for life:

Don’t give up on things too fast. you aren’t expected to like everything the first time you try it.

There is science that backs me up on this one. Your taste buds can change with time and exposure. It takes somewhere between 8 to 15 tries before your brain goes from “this is weird” to “okay, I kind of like this.” Which means that saying “I don’t like it” after one bite isn’t the end of the story. It’s just the first chapter.

And honestly, this isn’t just about kids. Adults do it too. We label foods (and sometimes people and experiences) as “not for me” after a single uncomfortable moment. But what if we just needed a few more tries? A few more exposures? A little more curiosity?

That’s what I want my kids to learn: Your taste buds are trainable. So is your thoughts. Trying new foods isn’t just about eating, it’s about your mindset. It’s about being willing to change and grow, and hopefully surprise yourself.

It’s also about connection. Food is one of my favorite highlights of different cultures and ways of life. When we travel, we try everything, street food in new cities, family recipes from different friends, dishes we can’t pronounce but will absolutely Google later. Saying yes to unfamiliar flavors becomes a way of saying, “I respect your story. I want to understand it better.”

It’s not an option in our house, we try everything. Instead of saying they hate it, they are trained to say “its not my favorite”. And you better believe we keep serving all their least favorite foods in hopes of them eventually growing an appreciation and taste for them. It wasn’t easy in the beginning, it was met with a lot of whining and complaining and even some hungry bedtimes. But like I said its a mindset, and life is more fun when you are willing to eat all the foods!

Click here to read more lessons we’re teaching our kids