by Kathy Panicola

Created on: April 21, 2009

Most people would complain on how difficult it is to get their kids to eat. Not just getting them to eat healthy, just getting them to eat. How many times have we all been at some type of roadside stop, restaurant, or fast food joint, and hear parents telling their kids,"come on, you need to eat!" Not me, fortunately or maybe unfortunately my kids will eat anything, and I mean anything, rabbit, alligator tail, liverwurst, spinach, you name it, and I promise, they will try it.

My best and worst eater is my daughter Mimi, she always called every meat 'chicken', whether it was a hot dog, or a spare rib. Mimi would always ask if she could have more 'chicken' please. It isn't that Mimi didn't know the names of foods because her dad would come home from work and ask,"what's mommy cooking?" and she would answer, "meatloaf." But it never failed when we sat down to eat she would always say, "I'll have corn, mashed potatoes, and chicken." And if there was any vegetables left over Mimi would pull the bowl in front of her and eat all the vegetables until they were gone. My mother always got a kick out of Mimi. She always called her such a character. And a character, she was.

When Mimi was a little girl, she had to have her four front teeth surgically removed. The dentist that preformed the surgery told me, and my husband that Mimi should have soft foods for a day or two, and that she would be a bit groggy for the rest of the day. Well, Mimi being Mimi, didn't act that way at all. She was up and running the minute we got home. She was just as hungry as she was active. I made her something to eat, and she was quite happy, until she remembered we had pretzels. She looked, and looked for them and finally found them. That's right she found the pretzels I hid on the very top shelf of the pantry cabinet. And I caught her climbing shelf, by shelf, to get them. I called the dentist in such panic. He calmly told me to let her have them if she was in pain she won't eat them. Guess what? She ate them. She also ate corn on the cob, with such precision. Friends and family would come over for a barbeque, and watch her eat with amazement. Imagine if you can, a blond haired, blue eyed, petite, toothless little girl with butter and corn all over her face, and that was my little Mimi. As cute as a button.

Mimi was a character outside of the home as well, if we went to a buffet type of restaurant, she would tell all sitting at the table that they were not to go to the dessert bar until they

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