{Originally published June 2007 on my TypePad blog which I’ve since closed down. I am republishing here because of another similar reader question. All the information is still completely relevent, Apollo’s health and feeding issues aside. Though, I admit it is impossible to re-read this and not see the irony in it.  I have edited a few things for clarification and ease of reading.}

A reader recently left a comment asking if my children would actually eat all of those vegetables (pictured in my Colorful Chicken Fettuccine recipe}. My children love vegetables. All ten of them. They are all excellent eaters, who will devour nearly anything without complaint.

I don’t believe this is a coincidence or that we got “lucky”. First off all there are ten of them, not just two. Secondly, they come from 3 different gene pools, so you can’t claim it is genetic. I believe it is a matter of careful training.

We have never catered to a baby’s taste. We have never been ones to rummage through the cupboards to find something a child will eat, whether the child is 9 months, 2 years, or 10 years. They eat the food provided, or they don’t eat. No normal, well-adjusted child is going to starve themselves to death.

I distinctly remember Baby Number Four (Enoch pictured above) sitting in his high chair, refusing to eat what we were eating. He was less than a year old, and I was pregnant with Kalina. I remember at the time thinking if I weren’t so busy with the other three, if I weren’t so tired from pregnancy, I would probably have looked around until I found something he would eat. And he would have become  a picky eater. No such luck, the poor kid. And guess what? He got over it and learned: you eat at mealtimes or you don’t eat.

{ETA: It probably goes without saying, but just in case. Enoch was under a year, so he obviously got several bottles a day- he was in no danger of “starving”}

Yes, we make our children “clean their plates”. And no, I don’t believe for a second that is what makes a child overweight. Here’s the deal. We all eat dinner. Everyone has a little of everything (and a little is often a teaspoonful). We don’t “fill” their plates. We give them a little, and when they’re finished with what they have, they can have more of whatever they want. No one has to have seconds of anything, much less a food they hate. It is not unusual to have a fight over the last piece of broccoli or stalk of asparagus. Over time, beginning when they are very young,  they try everything. I am a firm believer that tastes are developed. I’ve seen it happen with my own children. I’ve seen a food they detest but must eat a bite of become a favorite (Adalia did this at age four with squash). They get used to new flavors and textures, learn to eat food they don’t like with a smile. An important skill whether you’re a missionary, a businessman, or just a guest at someone’s house.

{Another note on healthy weight is that easily 90% of our snacks our healthy, usually fruit or vegetables. There is no junk food in the house to fill up on (with the exception of celebrations/special occasions). And into the junk food category I would include packaged granola bars, crackers, etc.  I don’t want “junk food” to be a completely forbidden fruit, but rather something we enjoy on occasion and in moderation. }