So my son doesn’t want to eat dinner, even though it’s chicken nuggets, usually a big favorite. Is he sick?
No. He had a snack at school.
What kind of a snack?
Cereal bars.
Three of them.
My son is 6. Even given he’s a growing boy, three cereal bars is a LOT of food.
I told him so, and will tell the after school teachers that maybe unlimited access to the goody of the day isn’t such a good idea. I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but I wonder if I need to be concerned.
After all, I started fairly young, too. My mother tells a story about the first time she gave me a peanut butter sandwich. I liked it so much I begged for another, then promptly puked it all up.
Now, this story did not presage a life of bulimia, but I didn’t get to be so fat without relishing food, in large quantities, whenever I got an opportunity. I was the kid who swiped frosting flowers off of birthday cakes–before we sang Happy Birthday. Oh, and it wasn’t my cake.
I don’t want to give my kid a complex, but I also want to teach about healthy limits. I’ve read about those crazy moms who are always after their kid to eat less, even though the kid is fine. But I wonder what would have helped me find those healthy limits when I was a kid.
What would you do?
Lara
March 5, 2010 at 3:32 pm
When Manda was not able to control her snacking, and her weight was going up, I had a dilemma. I mean, my grandmother was an anorexic (until just before her dying days), my mom was an anorexic, I was an anorexic. Somehow, I wanted to break the cycle and didn’t want her to get hung up on food.
So I tried to find some rules about snacking and looking at a serving and waiting 30 min before having another snack. I don’t make her clean her plate, but I do have her finish things before she gets more of her favorite. It’s a fine line. Also, I’ve been trying not to reward with food. Harder then it looks
Kelli
March 6, 2010 at 6:04 am
As a kid who was overweight by 11 I would say you don’t have a big problem. The fact that he passed on dinner means that he has the ability to recognize fullness. I lacked that ability. I would have eaten all of the snacks and then still ate all the dinner and asked for dessert. I think talking to the teachers about the importance of not allowing a free for all on snacks is the better way to go. I think if you make too big of a deal of it with him he may start lying about being full and force the dinner down as well. Just my thought though.
Lyn
March 6, 2010 at 7:52 pm
I taught all five of my children to read nutrition labels. Even at 4 my daughter will bring me the box and ask me “how many is a serving?” All the kids know they may have ONE serving of an item, and then, on occasion, I will let them have a second serving. But they have to know and understand they are having a second serving.
Try explaining the labels and servings to your son, but yes, I would go and tell the teacher you think 3 is excessive and perhaps the CLASS should be limited to 1 or 2 servings of any sugary treats.