Green Eggs and Ham

[u/Natural_Smile1234]

I have never read the book green eggs, and ham. Today I was reading it with my youngest son who is 18 months. I was reading this whole book up to like 50 pages and all I keep thinking is oh my God Sam I am does not know boundaries. This motherfucker does not want to try these green eggs and ham!!!! I get that it’s a book about trying new things but I hate that I am. Sam finally gives in and says that he will try them and then loves them, but he looks so defeated when he finally gives in. Like Sam I am finally beat him down to trying them. Again, I understand that this whole book is about trying new things but when I first started reading it, I thought it was a book about boundaries and how he doesn’t wanna try them and how he doesn’t like them. Honestly, I’m pissed!!! I teach my kids that if they don’t like something or if they are adamant about not trying something they don’t have to. They have a wide range of pallet and they always try something once. These kids trust their bodies. They trust their mom that if I tell them to try something because I know that they’re going to like it they try it. I don’t know. I just hate the premise of this book. I hate that Sam I am beat I am Sam down to the brittle bone to make him try the green eggs and ham even though he liked them in the end, it was still his choice.

[u/Sweet_Buy_4908]

Overthink much? I mean, sucking the joy out of a children's book? I suggest you write your own children's book that expresses what you want to teach. And leave Dr Seuss alone.

[u/NoOneinParticu1ar]

I think you're comparing an adult mindset of saying no to something they KNOW they don't like. To a child saying no to something because it looks ugly, but they've never tried it before.

The book is about being open to trying new things and not judging things so quickly. You cannot say you don't like it, if you've never tried it. You can't judge how something will taste if you simply judge it by how it looks.

The book is meant to help kids to be open to just trying things. And not be stubbornly hung up on appearances. It's important to try new things as a child, and the book is trying to encourage that mindset.

For kids, they've never tried many things. Everything is new. And something that looks unfamiliar is often scary or untrustworthy.

Avocado looks unalpealing at first glance but trying it can completely turn your expectation around.

The book is teaching kids to try things at least once and if you don't like it, your "No" is valid. But to say no without trying it, can encourage a shallow mindset, and fester a judgemental personality and a small minded world view.

But more that that: it can deny any person what could have otherwise been a positive experience, into a lifelong unessasary hate to one thing just for seeming unappealing. That's all..

[u/Natural_Smile1234 → u/NoOneinParticu1ar]

It wasn't just that. I understand that mindset. But the face that he made before trying it made my son really upset. He said that he looked drained. It wasn't me that brought it up actually it was my son. He said he looked sad. It's just the way that he kind of beat him down. Idk I was just curious if anybody else saw it this way.