Give 'Em What They Want
These days, no matter how busy they are, American parents tend to prepare extra food if their children don't like the meal they're being offered. ("You hate chicken all of a sudden? Okay, I'll make you a toaster waffle.") I grew up with the "eat what's on your plate" rule. My mother, who had four children and a limited budget, wasn't about to get a bowl of cereal for someone who didn't like meat loaf. This policy made sense, but it also meant a lot of "just one bite" arguments. Hoping to avoid similar tension at my own table, I've prepared extra food for my kids countless times, resulting in a more peaceful meal but pickier children.

Frustrating Is an Understatement
"But it's so limiting!" parents will complain. "There are so many delicious foods that Jared won't even try! When he's a grown-up, he'll only like vanilla ice cream and peanut butter!"

Let's assume that's true. My daughter was a picky eater right up until college. As soon as she met kids who ate exotic foods like shrimp, she started eating everything she had refused to taste before. But say that little Jared still eats nothing but peanut butter and ice cream when he has grown up into big Jared. Isn't that Jared's concern, not yours? If you've offered him healthy, interesting foods, you've done your job. If he's continued to refuse them into adulthood, that was his choice.