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that is more the exception than the rule. She is now a four-year-old who eats raisin bran and cheerios, oatmeal and grits. She has a special affinity for watermelon, nectarines and plums.

Simply put, if you want your picky child to eat, present his dinner and stick to it. It is okay to dress up his veggies or incorporate them into other dishes, but really all you are accomplishing is teaching yet another young man or woman that it is better to get satisfaction than to eat what is healthy for you. Do not spend all day trying to force peas on a pea-hater, but do provide a variety of fruits, veggies and main courses so he has as many opportunities to like something as to dislike. Remember, children feed off their parents. A child who loves black olives may suddenly begin to dislike them if he sees dad or mom making faces.

After all of this framework, if your child really is that stubborn then it is time to take a lesson from your grandparents or their grandparents and say "This is what has been provided, this is what you will eat; and you will be thankful for it." We are all facing rough economic times; we may as well bring back manners while we're cutting costs and trying to live more efficiently!

We may be a more lenient age of parents, but we are still just that at the end of the day: parents. The very word implies knowledge of and intention to do what is best for each child, no matter what their opinion on the issue is.

With your next child, start from the moment they begin baby food and do not only choose baby foods that sound good to you; provide them a variety of healthy dishes and expand that into the raw and cooked versions of those foods as they grow. You will be surprised at what tastes they develop all on their own, and how easy you will have made the dinner experience on yourself.

Learn more about this author, Jennifer Wells.
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