This is an extremely emotional subject. Parents feel shame, judgment, and helplessness. They’ve been put in an impossible position, and they’re angry. I try to make it very clear that pickiness is not the fault of individual parents.  Mass pickiness came from historical changes, and I want readers to see another way is possible. What helped me most as a parent was historical evidence that children are vastly more capable than we think they are. Knowing that mass pickiness had never existed before in history gave me enormous confidence as I parented around food. That confidence is the real superpower.

The pleasure of food is about more than taste. It can mean the pleasure of sharing food with others, the satisfaction of making food, and feelings of health and well-being from eating good food. My hope is that my book might help younger parents regain some of the confidence that American parents used to have around food, and that we can create a new food culture that will result in less stress and more pleasure for everyone.