When I was a child, we ate what my mom cooked. No questions asked. If you didn't eat what was on your plate, you went hungry. We (my brother, my sister and I) weren't asked "do you want this or that". And having bread afterwards, if you didn't eat any of your food, wasn't on the cards. No, my mom cooked, and we ate. And we loved her food. We ate everything on our plates until we left home to start our own lives. We as a family, ate at a restaurant maybe once in every three months or so, on a Sunday afternoon, as a treat, and even then it was a good piece of steak.
Today's kids are growing up on junk food. It's fish fingers, viennas (which contain the Lord knows what), french fries, two minute noodles, and sugary air puffs which some kids even eat for supper.
The moms are either too busy or too tired to cook.
My one grandson, who is sleeping over until tomorrow, had a severe case of low blood sugar this morning. He was cold and clammy, pale, and couldn't even keep a mouth full of yogurt down once he started vomiting. He is four. He didn't eat a lot yesterday, as he said no to just about everything I offered him. This morning I rushed to the shops and bought some Sparberry (a red sugary soda drink), and he started feeling better after a few sips. At least he had 2 bananas today, which is good.
It's quite scary, to see how the kids sort out their own menu's without any qualms on the parents' part, and don't take no for an answer. And the parents comply, because it's maybe the easiest way out, with the least amount of drama. And of course, convenient too.
(photo via Google)
I wonder what the consequences of all these junk our kids and grand kids are consuming will be, and what effect it will have on their brains one day. What exactly are we raising?
Take care, and eat good food even if it's the first day of a new year. No excuse!
(I want to add, though, that in our time, there weren't so many take-away outlets as there are today. Today's parents are being bombarded, and we know that most things in life are about the path of least resistance).