[alt text: a 4-panel comic by @introvertdoodles, which is titled "Not 'Appropriate'". The first panel depicts a child wearing a very creative and unique outfit, and their parent is pointing at them and saying, "You can't wear that to church." The child is replying, "Why? All my bits are covered." In the second panel, the same child and a grandparent are eating dinner at a dining room table, and the grandparent is saying, "You aren't excused until you eat everything on your plate." The child is replying, "Why? I'm full." In the third panel, the same child is holding a stuff animal, and a different parent is telling them, "You're too old to be carrying that toy around." The child is replying, "Why? The tag just says 'ages 3 plus.'" In the fourth and final panel, the same child is sitting across from a school principal in the principal's office. The principal is saying, "You can't argue with the teacher." The child is replying, "Why? He was wrong."]
I do have a kid. We give our son a variety of foods and let him decide what he wants to eat. He eats a lot of different kinds of foods (big fan of Indian food atm), and the foods he wants to eat change from one day to the next. Treats are reserved for special occasions, mostly because those in particular can have a pretty significant impact on brain chemistry.
Forcing kids to eat is very well known to be a very bad idea.
@expr the only thing that I remember growing up is: if you don't finish your plate you won't get dessert
As for not finishing food, if I was full or not hungry my parents would put it in the fridge and have me warm it up in the microwave if appropriate (when I was old enough otherwise they'd do it for me)
That being said I hated beans and still hate beans... it's a texture thing
@Malfeasant