A toddler and food is a dangerous combination. Whatever happens to be on the menu is just as likely to end up on the floor/walls/someone else’s face as it is inside said toddler’s tummy. There’s a reason why generations of parents have been reduced to giving Oscar-worthy performances as an airplane in fruitless attempts to get their spawn to feed.
However, every once in a while, a child emerges that gives the rest of us faith in the next generation’s dietary habits.
A three-year-old has stolen headlines this week after a photo emerged showing the aftermath of a surreptitious yogurt feast. Olivia Whysall, daughter of photographer Arron Jeff Whysall, was captured sitting proudly in her chair, surrounded by 18 empty yogurt pots - the only evidence that she had spent the previous 10 minutes contentedly munching on Petit Filous while her father was out of the room.
As befits a child who’d downed over a dozen dessert pots, her expression in the photograph could best be described as “regal”. She looked less like someone who has barely stopped pooing in their pants and more like a haughty Hans Holbein portrait. Henry VIII himself would struggle to hide his appreciation.
Understandably, the child’s achievement caused quite a stir amongst an internet in dire need of some good news. Several drew attention not just to the quantity of yogurt consumed, but to the remarkable lack of mess in Olivia’s immediate vicinity. As one Facebook commenter pointed out:
"That is the neatest 3 year old yogurt eater ever!!! My 3 year old would have it everywhere but not a drop in sight here!! [sic]"
In a world where our future prognosis is becoming increasingly gloomy, Olivia’s achievement seems to have really connected with people desperate for some positivity. Yes, a child chowing down on inadvisable amounts of cultured dairy isn’t going to stop Brexit or impeach Trump. But it does give us hope that the next generation are not entirely devoid of talent or ambition.
If they can eat 18 yoghurts in one go, maybe they can also solve the climate crisis. As Olivia has proved, anything is possible.
This article originally appeared on twistedfood.co.uk
