After my emotional day yesterday I began to look at the bigger brighter picture. We are in a serious mess and it is the kids who take the brunt of it. I have always maintained that they are innocent in all of this and I won’t change my mind. When my daughter was too afraid to eat her lunch for fear of bullying I thought to myself how serious is this? Is this a suck it up moment? A tough love parenting learn a lesson type of moment or not?
I have slept on it and I am still really concerned for our kids. I wish my daughter had the personality to tell those kids to go pound sand and throw a jab or two (that’s honesty) but she doesn’t. She is this sensitive kind little thing without a mean bone. So me telling her to tell the kids that she doesn’t care what they think doesn’t work because she does care and she wears her heart on her sleeve.
Then there is the bigger issue. We live in a day and age where we are flying to space and yet so many kids still don’t know what healthy food tastes like. What is the solution?
The way I see it this sunny day is that parents and caregivers must make food a bigger priority. I think an easy way to do that is before you put it in a lunch or on the table, ask yourself “Would I eat this?” If you say yes awesome and if you say no, it’s time to get back to the drawing board. Our shopping habits and the way we feed our children dictate their tastes.
Let’s set them up for a healthier future,
Penny
My daughter has come home from school and said her friends ONLY eat the things we don’t. She’s starting to become distanced due to their behaviours. They act hyper, can’t sit still, have loud outbursts and can’t focus when you talk to them. I talk a lot to my kids about WHY we do things. I tell them that everyone else is doing their best and we’re doing ours. I also coach them to listen to their instincts and do what feels the most right for them. I hope it’s working! So far, so good. There are enough kids that eat diverse things that they’re seeing other kids eat weird stuff. Like octopus! I still remember being teased about my lunch so it’s worth all the effort to make it feel right. Good luck!
It’s so true. It’s all about teaching our kids why we eat certain things and why we do things a certain way and to be confident enough in themselves to be different! Good job on the trusting instincts. We know how we feel best and are more than capable of deciding what is right for us.