As the mother of three who are now 14, 18 and 21, I'm beginning to think I've seen and experienced it all. In reality, there will be more surprises around the "motherhood" corner but one that took me by surprise early on was my then six-month-old daughter spewing her first tastes of barley cereal back in my face. Many more attempts later, I gave up. Barley just wasn't going down Kathryne's throat, no matter how "fun" I made it. That was just the beginning of my experiences with enticing my three picky eaters to try new foods.

It's much better now with all three but I recently read an article that put it in perspective. Apparently, scientists have found a hereditary link that explains why some kids are so hyper-sensitive to new foods. It's in the genes. The mechanism that kicks in to encourage young children not to eat dangerous things is more hyperactive in some children (about 20%). Assuming that's the "problem" with my children, I can assume they get it from my father, and therefore, from me. The story goes that even when Dad was a very young boy, he could tell the difference between Heinz catsup and Hunts—blindfolded.  Even as we were growing up, there were some foods we didn't enjoy because they didn't suit Dad's taste buds.

For our family, I'm just glad the worst of the picky-eating days are over. Good luck to all you parents who struggle with picky eaters. I've been told it takes ten times of trying a new food to like it. Patience, perseverence, and picking your battles may be the order of the day.