Pitching Food to Children

[Guest guest]

My daughter knows that if I say " That food has meat in it, or it's full of

chemicals, or is not kosher " that's the end of that. She'll talk us into the

occasional higher sugar hfs cereal with the pretty animals on the box, but she

knows they're treats. How hard is saying no if you start from day one with

basic rules? I don't think it's so bad.

 

Sandra

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

It's not " hard " to say no, but some people would rather their children

have some autonomy over what they eat rather than having it dictated for

them. This way they learn how to make intelligent decisions regarding

food for themselves instead of just learning to automatially eat

whatever " everyone else " (the family, as children) is eating. This is

" hard " er to do than just saying no, yet many think it is an important

life lesson.

 

Sarah

 

 

 

Sandra Mort [sandra.mort]

Thursday, August 14, 2003 7:50 PM

 

Re: Pitching Food to Children

 

 

My daughter knows that if I say " That food has meat in it, or it's full

of chemicals, or is not kosher " that's the end of that. She'll talk us

into the occasional higher sugar hfs cereal with the pretty animals on

the box, but she knows they're treats. How hard is saying no if you

start from day one with basic rules? I don't think it's so bad.

 

Sandra

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Perhaps I haven't made myself clear. I go to the supermarket. My daugther

says, " Oh, mommy, look. It's Winnie the Pooh cereal, it's my FAVORITE!!! " (Not

that she's ever had it, she just likes to say that.) Then she'll say " Can we

get some of that please? " I pick up the box. I read the ingredients outloud,

I'll look for a kosher symbol out loud. We discuss it. If it's not vegetarian,

kosher or REASONABLY healthy, she knows the answer is no. She's learning to

make an informed choice and doesn't have a problem with me telling her that we

can't get it for those reasons. But in the end, if she did, I'm still not

getting her meat, excessive (by my definitions) junk or nonkosher food. That's

not debatable.

 

How am I not teaching her? I'm still saying No. And I still don't think it's

so hard.

Sandra

 

It's not " hard " to say no, but some people would rather their children

have some autonomy over what they eat rather than having it dictated for

them. This way they learn how to make intelligent decisions regarding

food for themselves instead of just learning to automatially eat

whatever " everyone else " (the family, as children) is eating. This is

" hard " er to do than just saying no, yet many think it is an important

life lesson.

 

Sarah

 

 

Sandra Mort [sandra.mort]

Thursday, August 14, 2003 7:50 PM

Re: Pitching Food to Children

 

 

My daughter knows that if I say " That food has meat in it, or it's full

of chemicals, or is not kosher " that's the end of that. She'll talk us

into the occasional higher sugar hfs cereal with the pretty animals on

the box, but she knows they're treats. How hard is saying no if you

start from day one with basic rules? I don't think it's so bad.

 

Sandra

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

It is tough to keep them on the right track. It is

critical not to make it just a health issue - The

humanitarian and the social issues are just as

important. But we get suckered into buying crap food

because we don't want them to resent the fact that

they are vegetarians.

 

Now that our kids are older 13 and 9 I am hoping to

keep them on this path, but I am planning for a small

battle - My daughter was away for a week and she tried

Lobster - what can you do!

 

 

 

--- Sarah <irsarah.bean wrote:

> It's not " hard " to say no, but some people would

> rather their children

> have some autonomy over what they eat rather than

> having it dictated for

> them. This way they learn how to make intelligent

> decisions regarding

> food for themselves instead of just learning to

> automatially eat

> whatever " everyone else " (the family, as children)

> is eating. This is

> " hard " er to do than just saying no, yet many think

> it is an important

> life lesson.

>

> Sarah

>

>

>

> Sandra Mort [sandra.mort]

> Thursday, August 14, 2003 7:50 PM

>

> Re: Pitching Food to Children

>

>

> My daughter knows that if I say " That food has meat

> in it, or it's full

> of chemicals, or is not kosher " that's the end of

> that. She'll talk us

> into the occasional higher sugar hfs cereal with the

> pretty animals on

> the box, but she knows they're treats. How hard is

> saying no if you

> start from day one with basic rules? I don't think

> it's so bad.

>

> Sandra

[Non-text portions of this message have been

> removed]

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

I did not say there is anything wrong with your method. People were

discussing making foods appealing to their children so they wouldn't

want junk foods or whatever (don't really remember what started the

thread). You asked how hard it was to just say no. I was simply

explaining that a good way to let children learn to make decisions for

themselves is to actually let them make decisions for themselves.

In my opinion, you are teaching her how to let mom make decisions for

her, which is just fine if that is what you want her to know. You are

also teaching her to read ingredients carefully, to make an informed

decision, about different types of products, etc. But it is just as

easy to teach your kids all of this and still let them choose what to

eat. That choice is not for everyone, obviously - some people are far

too concerned with animal rights, dangers of certain foods, etc. and

would not be able to stand by watching their child eat certain things.

I am not judging anyone, simply stating that a parent allowing their

child choices is not necessarily acting out of neglect of teaching their

child things or trying to avoid the " hard " ness of saying no - which,

you're right, is actually pretty easy.

 

Sarah

 

 

 

Sandra Mort [sandra.mort]

Monday, August 18, 2003 6:48 AM

 

Re: Pitching Food to Children

 

 

Perhaps I haven't made myself clear. I go to the supermarket. My

daugther says, " Oh, mommy, look. It's Winnie the Pooh cereal, it's my

FAVORITE!!! " (Not that she's ever had it, she just likes to say that.)

Then she'll say " Can we get some of that please? " I pick up the box. I

read the ingredients outloud, I'll look for a kosher symbol out loud.

We discuss it. If it's not vegetarian, kosher or REASONABLY healthy,

she knows the answer is no. She's learning to make an informed choice

and doesn't have a problem with me telling her that we can't get it for

those reasons. But in the end, if she did, I'm still not getting her

meat, excessive (by my definitions) junk or nonkosher food. That's not

debatable.

 

How am I not teaching her? I'm still saying No. And I still don't

think it's so hard.

Sandra

 

It's not " hard " to say no, but some people would rather their children

have some autonomy over what they eat rather than having it dictated

for

them. This way they learn how to make intelligent decisions regarding

food for themselves instead of just learning to automatially eat

whatever " everyone else " (the family, as children) is eating. This is

" hard " er to do than just saying no, yet many think it is an important

life lesson.

 

Sarah

 

 

Sandra Mort [sandra.mort]

Thursday, August 14, 2003 7:50 PM

Re: Pitching Food to Children

 

 

My daughter knows that if I say " That food has meat in it, or it's

full

of chemicals, or is not kosher " that's the end of that. She'll talk

us

into the occasional higher sugar hfs cereal with the pretty animals on

the box, but she knows they're treats. How hard is saying no if you

start from day one with basic rules? I don't think it's so bad.

 

Sandra

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

I think i have been extremely lucky with my son, as far as food issues

are concerned. Despite the fact that i absolutely hate the Disney

corporation, my 5 year old has fallen in love with Mickey Mouse,

probably because of Fantasia at grandma's house, and i do allow him to

watch Disney movies from the library because that way we are not paying

them, and i tell him that, too. He does beg to go to McDonald's, but is

really just after the toy, and is usually content to take a picnic to

the park. He really doesn't like the fast food, and ever since i found

out about the acrylamide(sp?) in potatoes fried at high temperatures, he

reminds me that we should not eat them. I just explain every little

detail to him of what is in foods, and being a young impressionable

child, he picks up on the things i tell him. I have let him come to the

gas pump with me and i ask him, do you think we should eat food that is

made of this yucky smelling gasoline? Then i explain to him , " Do you

know what refined means? It is when they use synthetic chemicals to take

parts of one thing out of another. Do you know what synthetic chemicals

are? They are things that scientists make in laboratories that are not

from nature, and because of that they are poisonous. Do you understand?

Do you think that we should put things like that in our bodies? " He

knows about death and decomposition as well, i have explained that our

bodies are soft and delicate like the leaves that rot, and that we can't

digest those things. I am working on becoming a homeschooler using the

Montessori and Waldorf learning methods, and although i am sure i am

nowhere near a perfect teacher, i try to think about what he doesn't

know yet and use words to explain it to him. " Mom what does explain

mean? " and then i think, geez! how much there is I don't know, and i

am so thirsty for knowledge, the things he doesn't know are endless! The

whole world is a mystery! I think that the idea of people putting that

poisonous stuff in our food baffles him... why would someone do that?

Enter: a money and greed lesson. " When people don't have thoughts and

feelings about protecting and loving eachother, called morals they

forget that what's important are the people we love and the time we

spend with them. They start to think that their toys and their piggy

banks are more important than their mommas. " This horrifys him. Then, i

try to incorporate the choices he makes about the foods we buy with the

fight of the healthful person against the poisoning corporations. I try

to empower him to say no to them, say no to the Kraft mac & cheese

because there are poisons in it, genetically modified petroleum colored

preserved 'cheese' on refined bleached pesticide grown 'pasta' in a non

recycled box. " Wouldn't you rather have Annie's anyway, Solly, they have

a pet bunny just like you. " He always says yes, and ten minutes later

proceeds to tell the woman in front of us at the checkout that she is

buying poisonous macaroni. ; )

Love,

Natalie Joy & her boys

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Niedel Lauren [lniedel]wrote: but I am planning for a small

battle - My daughter was away for a week and she tried

Lobster - what can you do!

 

Well, If you don't think that it is too harsh, you may want to point out

that the lobsters are kept in captivity and boiled alive, and that they

scream. Part of the reason I became a vegetarian as a teenager is

because I read John Robbin's Diet For A New America, and I think that

was the book in which a slaughter house scene was described where they

keep the pigs separate because they hear the screaming of the

slaughtered animals and they can actually, like, implode, like their

livers dump into their blood streams and 'ruin the meat' because they

are septic. I could be mixing it all up, but I know it's pretty

horrible, and a lot of mammalian animals espescially will absolutely die

of fear...( If anyone else can clarify what I am talking about.. Have

you heard of the septic liver thing?) But anyway, my point was that

maybe it is time for your oldest, at least, to learn about the things

you learned about when you decided to become a vegetarian. And I am

going to bet that her meat eating friends are completely oblivious to

why anyone would be a vegetarian, and they probably ask her a lot of

questions she does not know how to answer. I fairly clearly remember

everyone thinking I was weird until I started giving them the facts and

I have been an unpopular dinner guest ever since!!

Love,

Natalie Joy & her boys