The Food Battle

My 8 year old is a great eater. He always has been. His diet is varied and his palate is sophisticated. Thats not to say he doesn't enjoy junk food as much as the next 2nd grader, but overall he is both well rounded and open minded.
Unfortunately these qualities are not a result of my fantastic parenting abilities, as illustrated by my subsequent children.
Oliver prefers peanut butter for lunch and cereal for breakfast. Each new bowl must be in a clean bowl. There is no such thing as a second helping in the same cereal bowl. That cereal is tainted. Sometimes we make the resolve and we face this battle.
No! You only get one bowl!
We valiantly stick with our assertion. The problem is Oliver has great stamina for holding a piercing shriek at the most shrill decibel. If that fails to change our minds about the bowl situation then drastic measures begin. Cups of milk are toppled, siblings bear the brunt of his wrath. I think the character of the Incredible Hulk was based on Oliver. He is the sweetest boy on the planet, but oh you do not want to be around when he turns green and his clothes shred.
So Oliver has cereal in 400 bowls, then he eats peanut butter for lunch. He eats other things with his peanut butter, like raw carrots and 400 mandarin oranges, but he must have peanut butter. He would rather starve than eat a different type of sandwich so in the end I relent. I don't relent because I figure oh well, it can't be that bad for him. I relent because I'm so tired of having a full lunchbox come home full of warm and wasted food. I relent because of the time it took for me to pack that lunch that came home warm and untouched.
Then there is Griffin. He will try something. Usually. If he sees Holden eating it.
Then there is Laurel who drinks milk. Lots of milk. So much milk that I make her eat before she gets milk. Sometimes she'd rather have nothing at all than have to have one bite.
Holden explains that food is good for you and if she wants to grow up and be tall like him she should eat.
She thinks its OK to drink milk and be short.
She points out that she does eat cookies. I point out that cookies are a treat, they are not good for you. Cookies do not help you grow.
" Oh, like vegetables make you grow?"
" Yes!" I'm delighted that she has figured this out. I see the glimmer of light on the horizon.
" Of course, I don't eat my vegetables." She points out.
" You need to eat to grow and be healthy."
" I like chocolate". Laurel reasons.
" No, chocolate does not help you grow."
" It makes you shrink?"
" No."

Despite having had variations of this conversation over and over and over again Laurel remains convinced that some foods make you grow while others make you shrink.

We can't get rid of her squeaky cat shoes because when she shrinks to a baby they will fit her again.
OK, well, good luck with that.