This is the tale of a persnickety young boy who seemingly detests the beautiful, seasonal vegetables his mother places before him each night at dinner. One day his brilliant mother decides that instead of fighting with him, she's going to turn each of the ground-grown foods he bellyaches about into a pureed soup.

There are many things to be thankful for when you have children: your mom decided to serve dinner buffet style, so the kids can choose what they like. One piece of broccoli and four pieces of bread? Fine. Don't care. Sit down and shut up.

While I'm against force-feeding, I am a firm believer in the one-bite rule. Two or three would be preferable, but one will suffice. In my experience, what starts off as one usually ends up as three or four or even 10, eventually. And the less fuss I make about these bites, the more likely they are to be taken.