We’re not exactly health nuts here at our casita. But we’re not junk food junkies either. It has always been important to us that we raise our kids with an emphasis on healthy eating with fruit, vegetables being staples while soda and sugary drinks are not.

We don’t eat fast food all that often and when we do, we explain to the kids that while it’s okay to eat McDonalds food occasionally, the food isn’t very healthy so that’s why we don’t eat it very often. Additionally, we have dessert night once a week. It’s a big deal in our house and every Friday night when I bring home that week’s dessert, there are shrieks of delight the minute I walk through the door – from the kids too. And because we get dessert only once a week, the kids know that it’s not healthy to eat sweets all of the time.

Armed with this information, TheMonk and Swee’Pea attended YMCA day camp at my YMCA these past two weeks. One morning, as reported to me by one of my staff, the younger kids were sitting in a circle answering the question, “What’s your favorite food?” Predictable answers from the campers were expressed. Pizza! McDonalds! Ice Cream!

When it was time for TheMonk to tell everyone, I wondered what he would say. Nuggets? Pizza? Chocolate cake?

No. Instead, TheMonk looked around at the other 5-7 year old kids in his group and declared with the authority that only a 5-year-old can muster, “You shouldn’t eat junk food! It’s not healthy for you!”

That’s my boy.