I was talking to my great-nephews mother last night about how his grandmother pretty well hounded him into eating meat. He still doesn't care too much for meat, but she will NOT leave him be until he finishes all the meat on his plate each meal. He just turned 4 yesterday. This kid has no trouble finishing his fruits and vegetables. He loves those things. Especially raw, or steamed ones. He's just not big on meat. However, his grandmother, when he visits her, is convinced that he needs meat and dairy to be healthy. His grandfather, whom he lives with, thinks the same thing. ;_; This frustrates me, because this kid was naturally inclined NOT to eat these things, and used to drink my soymilk when I lived there. His mother is furious, and she regrets letting herself get tricked into signing over custody. She only did so because of her youth, and the situation behind the conception. She still loves the boy, it's just... it's a long story, and there's a lot of pain associated with it. She wants the best for him, and she's scared they are messing him up the way they messed the father up.

Getting off topic: Has anyone else noticed that tiny children don't seem to be naturally inclined to eating meat, but instead have to be programmed to enjoy it by the adults in their lives? It's like they are trained to disliked vegetables!