Pickiness examined....

I was a picky eater as child. I am still a fairly picky eater to this day. As a general rule, I do not like condiments. I will eat barbecue sauce and salsa. Beyond that, I am not a fan of condiments. I think ketchup is the most evil concoction ever created. Mayo and mustard literally make me gag. Sour cream...can't do it. So yes, I realize that I am a picky eater. However, for all of my gastronomic quirks, I pale in comparison to my children. My children have to be the absolute finickiest people ever to walk the face of this Earth.

Case in point:

Lucas: As a baby, Lucas would eat anything and everything. We were amazed at his appetite. However, as the years have gone by, his tastes in food have changed and diminished to the point that he will only eat a small handful of foods. Most of the foods that you would think of as typical "kid" fare, Lucas refuses to eat. He will not eat pizza. He will not eat mac and cheese. He will not eat spaghetti (or pasta of any variety) or hamburgers. He will not even eat that most sacred of childhood staples...peanut butter. There is not a single vegetable he will eat. He is limited on the fruits he will eat. He will eat a banana occasionally and may choke down some grapes if we force him. For the most part, he doesn't really even care for candy. He survives on grilled cheese sandwiches, hot dogs, pop tarts, and Teddy Grahams. Not a healthy existence, I know. Perhaps that explains his disproportionate head to body ratio (large head, skinny little body) and his general pastiness.

Nicholas: Nicholas has a larger repertoire of foods that he will eat, but he is particular about the way his food is served to him. His spoon and/or fork must be orange (thank you, IKEA). His food cannot be touching on his plate. He loves peanut butter, but not on bread or crackers. It must be served to him on a spoon. He will eat Kraft mac & cheese, but no other brands. Do not even try to serve him Velveeta shells and cheese...shells are apparently offensive to a mac & cheese connoisseur such as my Nicholas. He will eat corn, but only on the cob. He will eat hot dogs, but not on a bun. He will eat pizza, but only as long as he cannot see the sauce. If he catches of glimpse of red, it's all over. If he doesn't like something, he will politely say "no thank you," but there is an obvious hint of contempt in his sweet little angel voice. How dare I offer him food that is not up to his persnickety standards...what was I thinking?!

Sophie: Unfortunately for my dear daughter, Sophie inherited my general approach to food. It is the Hardesty way. She would eat constantly...all day every day....if we would let her. However, she amazingly appears to actually consume very little of the food she is given. She complains of being "hungry" when she is bored or tired or irritated or just plain feeling obstinate. However, I can assure you that she will turn her nose up at any snack that is offered to her. When Sophie complains that she is hungry, she wants potato chips or ice cream or cheesecake or candy. Poor thing...she is definitely my daughter. She is willing to try almost any new food that you offer to her...a trait I love about her. However, you can most certainly bet on her declaring most of the food she tries "yucky." Unless it is infused with a pound of sugar, Sophie doesn't really have much interest in it.

So what do I do with my three picky children? Do I buy stock in pop tarts? What is that....Kellogg? Do I force-feed them vegetables? Do I refuse to let them consume sugar? I doubt any of those scenarios would really change a picky eater. Is it even possible to change a picky eater? Perhaps I just need to relax and realize that their tastes will expand as they grow older. Mine certainly did. Though I still think condiments are heinous.