As my daughter’s personal chef, I privately vowed around her six-month birthday to feed her only organic foods until she was old enough to drink whole milk (in other words, her first birthday).

Apparently, she had other plans.

She made her intentions clear last weekend. We were out and about with some of my friends, lunching and wine-tasting at some of my town’s finest establishments. At our final stop of the day—a cult winery just off the square—our host gave us grownups brownie bites to accompany our 1-oz taste of port.

L, the stubborn little trickster that she is, intercepted the chocolaty goody between my hand and my mouth, and chomped off a chunk of her own.

Reactions washed over me like the crashing surf. The first wave: “Ohmygod, she’s going to choke.” When she didn’t choke, the next wave hit: “Can babies eat chocolate?” Finally, the third (and perhaps most neurotic) wave came: “What’s the chance those brownies are organic?”

Needless to say, the brownies were NOT organic. After a minor freak-out over this fact, I’ve come to terms with the reality that—gasp!—I’m not going to be able to control what L eats for the rest of her life. She’ll probably drink soda at some point. She might eat McDonald’s. Hell, somebody may even introduce her to Fun-Dip.

My epiphany: All I can do is provide my daughter with a foundation in healthy eating and the knowledge to make good choices. The rest, at least most of the time, is up to her.