MARK MY WORD: PARENTS SET EXAMPLE ONE BITE AT A TIME

For years, Becca's refused to eat hamburgers of any kind.

Fast-food or homemade, she avoided them as if they were poison. It made no difference to her that it took mankind thousands of years to discover hamburger heaven.

But after celebrating her 9th birthday last month, she surprisingly decided to try a hamburger. She discovered she liked it. Well, actually, she doesn't like the bun. Hold the pickle, too. She eats the patty all by itself. But, at least, it's progress.

She still won't eat pizza. Thankfully, college is still years away. Joni and I have plenty of time to get her ready for higher education. That includes instilling in her the value of pizza.

Entire college degrees have been built on pepperoni pizza. Hamburgers rank a close second in the college survival kit.

But none of that means anything to Becca right now. So far she's advancing through third grade without even extra cheese. She has always been a picky eater.

Still, it's nice to know that she will eat something besides chicken fingers covered in ketchup.

Her diet also includes peanut butter and jelly sandwiches that her mom makes and "throwed" rolls at Lambert's restaurant in Sikeston.

Most people order a full plate of food when they dine at the popular eatery. But not Becca. She eats only the rolls. Fortunately, they're big enough to be a complete meal.

Becca's picky eating habits aren't hereditary. Joni and I love a good meal. There's very few things I won't eat with the exception of grits.

Our youngest daughter, Bailey, on the other hand, loves a culinary adventure. She'll try different foods. She likes pizza and Chinese food. She's only 5, but based on her eating habits she's clearly college material.

Unfortunately, neither child has mastered the art of a tidy room.

Bailey, in particular, has trouble with clean-up skills, although she recently volunteered to vacuum Becca's room.

I'm convinced that children are born with mess genes. This allows them to mess up a room at a moment's notice.

It's also one of those traits that allows children to scatter homework, discarded cookies, coats, shoes and other assorted items inside the family van.

It all happens so quickly. One minute you're driving a nice, neat van and the next you've been slimed.

I love our van, but I don't think it should be a portable science project or a burial ground for spilled fries.

Rather than worry about improving gas mileage, automakers should devote their energies to making an automatic cleaning car.

If it could just gobble up the mess, not the children, it would be an instant hit with parents everywhere.

Of course, the automakers can't do anything about our eating habits.

As for Becca, she continues to cling to the belief that only a handful of foods are good for you and most of them can be replaced with plenty of chocolate milk.

Surprisingly to us, she continues to grow taller even without the aid of a single, sausage pizza.

Meanwhile, Joni and I continue to order pizza. As parents, you owe it to your kids to set a good example. All it takes is one good bite.