Photo caption: Eli sitting in the harvest field drinking a bottle of whole milk and eating cheese dip. (Journal photo by Patricia Vilhauer.)
Every time I sit down to watch television, it always seems like the commercials are longer than the actual program I want to watch. I inevitably end up sitting through numerous boring and sometimes cheesy commercials, many of which include paid celebrity spokespersons.
Whether it’s an actress in a Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals soliciting donations or an athlete advertising athlete’s foot cream, I always wonder does this person care about this cause or rely on this product? Are they authentic, or are they only in it for the endorsement money and telling a bunch of lies in front of the camera?
When I think of the most honest and straightforward people I know—they are all children. If I hear a compliment or an insult from a child, I take it as his or her truthful opinion, because a kid says how he or she feels. Kids don’t temper their thoughts or sugar coat their reactions—it’s just the truth through their eyes.
I’d believe anything children say when it comes to their likes and dislikes, and that’s why I think they are the perfect ambassadors for a brand or product—food in particular. I’ve never seen children eat something they don’t like and if they do, they make it known. You can trust their motives.
My 13-month-old son, Eli, is the perfect example. He drank his last bottle of formula and officially switched to cow’s milk at the beginning of June—fittingly National Dairy Month—and now he is a whole milk enthusiast. He would rather drink his dinner than eat it with a spoon, and he usually wants more. We’ve created a milk monster, and I love him for it because cow’s milk is natural and does the body good.
And don’t even get me started on his love for Mexican cheese dip or any type of bread. He could be the official spokesperson for the dairy and wheat industries. Basically, he’s become the carbohydrate king.
But really, it’s not surprising, he likes these foods much more than some of the fruits and vegetables I feed him because they taste the best. It’s a no brainer and I completely agree with him. I’m going to choose cheese and bread every time I have an option. Plus, they are valuable sources of nutrition in a balanced diet that he needs to grow strong and healthy.
Kids know what tastes the best and they act on it, which is why the dairy and wheat industries are easy to celebrate and support. And they are promoted every day in our house by my baby boy. Eli is a true consumer of these products, and he is pro-agriculture. When it comes to a genuine spokesperson, he’s the guy!
Lacey Vilhauer can be reached at 620-227-1871 or [email protected].
