Unicorn Parenting? Not me. Unicorn Parenting popped into my head this morning as a sad descriptor in what it means to raise children who grow into fit adults.  It made me pause and look back to see what, if anything, we did differently in terms of parenting that now allows me pride that my kids grew up to be thin and healthy adults. For reference, they are now 27 and 30 years old.  I see some very good things we did in terms of activity. But I see total failure, not total, but a failure in terms of teaching healthy eating habits. Not completely, obviously, but nowhere near as healthy as what I know they will one day (soon, please) teach their own children.  Here's what we did right: Extremely active lifestyle. It was hardly and exaggeration to say that they lived in the pool when they were little. Loved being in the water and swimming was as normal.as breathing.  Nature. Walks, and adventures every single day. It's not my proudest moment but I clearly remember being pregnant with my second and sitting in a chair throwing a ball down the hill for my son to fetch.  I look back and realize  that much of their youth was a constant attempt at wearing them out. Any smart parent knows this doesn't work, but I wasn't that smart.  Beaches, boogie boards and amusement parks. Disney was my favorite vacation spot and we were all worn out every day at the park. I remember valiantly attempting to keep them awake on the monorail back to the hotel so they would nap. And they did.  Best naps ever at the Disneyland hotel. Which is probably why I took them so frequently.   Beaches were at least weekly. Not nearly as much fun for their parents, as I was acutely aware the dangers present.  Boogie boards led to surf boards and parasailing by the time they were out of my control.  Bicycles and motorcycles. Oh yes, there is a lot of activity (and fun) in motorbikes. My son had a peewee 50 that he was crazy proficient in before he entered kindergarten. He wasn't strong enough to start it, so the frequent crashes led to the toddler walk of shame back to mom or dad to help. As adults both of my kids still ride bicycles. A lot. Which is unusual in this area. Everything about their youth was active. I remember hearing that television was the evil babysitter that would keep my children quiet. Unlike most parents, I was delighted by this prospect. And perhaps it's because I pushed them towards it, but my kids rebelled and wanted more active entertainment. They watched tv and I still have some of the horrible toddler jingles stuck in my head.  But they viewed it as a time to charge their batteries or be lulled into sleep.  They did like their gymnastics and karate but mostly it was independent play. Basketball and baseball games were thrown together from the pool and the trampoline was ever popular. So yeah, I look back and realize we did a lot of good in teaching them to be active. And provided a wide range of activities for them to determine what they liked. So I'm proud of this.  An unintended positive consequence was that I was a worrier and never quite trusted other parents to watch my kids carefully enough.  So I attempted, and successfully created, a world that would make the other kids want to hang out in our little world. They lived in my pool, played on our equipment, ate at our table and slept in sleeping bags when we ran out of beds.  I feel bad in acknowledging my motives, but it worked on several levels. Now we come to my complete and utter failing in terms of diet.  My kids ate a ton of junk. Pizza was easy to order and a cheap way to feed a gaggle of hungry mouths. Baking was so much fun because it would be inhaled by happy kids. And slumber parties ( which was basically all summer and every weekend during the school year) must include lots of popcorn and candy and sodas. Did I limit their soda consumption for health reasons?  Not entirely.  It was mostly because I was sick and tired of cleaning up those cans that were strewn everywhere.  One unhealthy snack, every day. Usually two. But raw vegetables and salads were the only option if meal time was close or treats had been consumed.  Meals were not perfect but not terrible. One thing I demanded was excellent table manners, age appropriate. If they wanted to eat at the table, and escape the high chair, manners mattered. Meals were consumed as a family, at the table.   This made meals a time where you talked and listened to others.  It wasn't just the food. I remember being told I was the meanest mom in the world when they got bigger and learned that other families ate in front of the tv.  Selfishly, I demanded that if I was cooking, serving and cleaning a meal, I wanted those consuming it to pay respect by sitting at the table as a family.  I think this inadvertently made them view dining as more than eating food. I love salads, so they were always served. Lots of vegetables and fruits.  A mix of everything.  An odd thing that started when they were old enough to chew is that they  loooooved salads. People would praise my parenting, but that wasn't why. We ate in restaurants very frequently. And salads are always served first. Hungry kids want food and quickly went from sharing salads to ordering them their own. It didn't really matter what they had ordered to eat because the salad had pretty much filled them up. Geez.  This is really long. So I'll ask my question.  What did your parents, or as parents yourselves, is done right and wrong in terms of raising healthy kids?  And how did the foods of your childhood affect your choices as an adult?