New York, Dec 3 (IANS): Are you frustrated at the sight of your kid leaving so much uneaten food on the plate? Take heart.

According to a fascinating study, children who only eat half to two-thirds of the food they serve themselves are not being wasteful, belligerent or disrespectful.

“They are just being normal children. This should provide comfort and reduce anxiety for the frustrated 'Clean Plate Club' parents,” said lead researcher Brian Wansink, director of the Cornell University's Food and Brand Lab.

The researchers aggregated six different studies of 326 elementary school-aged children.

It showed that if their parents are not around, the average child only eats about 60 percent of what they serve themselves.

More than a third goes right in the trash.

Unlike adults, kids are still learning about what foods they like and how much it will take to fill them up.

“It is natural for them to make some mistakes and take a food they do not like or to serve too much,” Wansink added.

What is less natural is for them to be forced to eat their 'mistakes’ by their parents, noted Wansink, author of the book titled “Slim by Design: Mindless Eating Solutions for Everyday Life”.