wow! I hated squash growing up. My mother fried it soggy and it was nasty. I hid it under the place mat and squished it flat. Didn't help that she told us it was fried potatoes either. We make our kids eat at least one bite of everything. If its something they really hate we may skip it. But I tell you I have seen SO many picky kids that won't eat anything and moms that are scrambling trying to just get something in them, and those kids are obviously doing a power play, that I'm just not going to let mine do that. We have a niece who for the longest time would only eat rolls...not just any kind of rolls either..had to be a certain type. She went hungry a few times at my mil's house. She was offered anything else in the house and my mil has a WELL stocked pantry and she turned her nose up at everything.