Squeeze lemons (taste them too).

Children are naturally curious about a lot of things. They are not concerned with making or not making a mess. When I say squeeze lemons, it means to allow them to explore their natural curiosity. If it cannot harm them, let them explore. I have witnessed many parents say, “That will make a mess!” Let them make a mess today, so they do not make a mess of their lives later.

We enjoyed when our son started exploring new foods and tastes. One day when we were in a restaurant, the water server came with a lemon. My wife and I wanted him to taste it, just to get the facial expression. What he wanted to do was feel the lemon, squeeze it, and then eventually taste it.

As human beings, how we do anything is how we do everything. With every new adventure children want to experience it with all their senses. The only experience we wanted for him was to taste it. It was all new to him, he wanted to feel it, smell it, taste it, look at it, and even hear it hit the floor after it flew out of his hand. Children want to use all of their senses when something new is presented to them. Allow them that process.