Think of all the starving children....

Topic at lunch today.... how our parents made us eat everything on our plates AND try some of everything!
This was a sensitive topic for me..I always hated being told what to do and found every way possible to out think the 'rents. We were always told. "Think of the starving children in the world who would be happy to have what you have." "Yeah," I'd always think, "I'd gladly give it to them!"
I particularly HATED peas, beets, lima beans and most dreaded..sweet potatoes! Of those I now only like peas- still hate the others! As far as I'm concerned beets are only good for dye, and lima beans are like little sand bags; so use them to build little levees. Sweet potatoes make me want to puke but they do make nice houseplants.
As a kid we had to remain at the table until we had eaten 2 bites of EVERYTHING. Of course I tried waiting it out. I can't tell you how many hours I actually spent at the table staring at sweet potatoes. But my parents were really hard asses about it. It was quite the control struggle. So eventually I had to try other tactics. Like pretending to eat a bite and letting it sneakily drop to the floor under the table. Well of course my Mom found it; I don't think I had thought that one out too well. Eventually I found that if I waited til the dreaded food was the last on my plate , I could stuff it all in my mouth- then act like I was going back outside to play. Then I would find a  likely spot, dig a little hole, spit it out and bury it! That worked most of the time.  Going directly to the bath room  to spit it out would have been a red flag, unfortunately.  There's still something about  the taste of sweet potatoes that just makes me ill.
As a parent myself, I vowed never to put my kids through that. It seemed so silly and such a waste of time- not one of those battles worth fighting. Then having a child on chemotherapy for 2 1/2 years gives it a whole different perspective. You literally feed them ANYTHING that sounds good to them!  If they don't want to eat someting you let it go.....and to be fair you do the same for your other children; it's just easier.
BTW putting the aspirin between 2 slices of bread (at age 8) while in theory a good idea, did not in all practicality work out. Thought I would never know when I ate it.... Bit right into it!