Being a parent is a wonderful gift. It is both rewarding and difficult beyond description. My husband once said, "Life is only as good as how your children are doing." If our children are having a difficult time with something, or suffering in some way, we as parents are emotionally tied. We want our children’s lives to be better than ours and it is hard to watch them go through life’s ups and downs.
I have the strength for everything through him who empowers me. Philippians 4:13
Part of the difficulty is in the way we parent as compared to how our parents parented. Years ago our parents had so much authority and when they said something, we jumped. Our kids are not that way. We have evolved over the past 30 years. We understand children more than ever and realize as part of that is to give them choices that empower them. These choices are great for our children as long as we as parents are firm and kind and are giving the right choices. Kids sometimes dictate what foods we buy for them at the grocery store, forgetting that we are called to parent as parents, and that includes parenting with nutrition. Is there room for improvement in the foods our children eat? See if you chuckle at this story and can think of a time you resembled my friend, "Carla".
My children joined swim team for the first time this year and we were at their first swim meet. I was standing there horrified at the sight I was seeing. Some parents brought donuts for other peoples kids to eat (without asking if it were OK first), and even more amazingly, some of the kids already had sour Skittles in their hands at 8:30 a.m. These kids are participating in this wonderful physical activity and the sugar and junk were pouring in, contributing nothing nutritional to their bodies. My friend "Carla" acknowledged my amazement, disappointment and disbelief. She says, "I know…I packed my kids a healthy snack and look at them (they had skittles)". I looked at her surprised and teasingly asked, "Who gave them the money?" She replied in embarrassment, "I did!"
She gave her children money at 8:30 in the morning at a swim meet to buy junk (and I agree the other question is "why is the snack bar, ran by parents, selling candy to our children in the morning?") even though she had already packed a healthy snack. Was it because everybody else was doing it? I believe in moderation and I believe in being flexible, but this is one of those times to say "No, we do not eat candy in the morning. I packed some fruit and a bagel, and you may have that if you are hungry."
Do not conform yourself to this age, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is the good and pleasing and perfect. Romans 12:2
Another sight is the child that arrives to the swim meet with pop tarts in hand. I understand some kids like to sleep for as long as they can before heading out the door with no time for breakfast. I see a better option to the pop tarts. Two pieces of whole grain toast with butter and jelly may take three more minutes, but it is a similar breakfast and much better nutritional option than the processed food. Tell your child, "I am making you toast to go, do you want jelly on them or just butter?"
The choices should be things we as parents want them to choose from. For example, before the swim meet, parents could have a conversation with their kids that sounds something like this; "The concession stand may not have the best choices for fueling your body while you swim, so I am packing fruit and a bagel if you choose that for your snack. Otherwise, if the snack bar has breakfast tacos this morning, I am happy to buy you one of those." Now the child knows ahead of time that you are not buying him junk at the snack bar, and he also knows what you will buy.
If your child is hungry and it is not your normal snack or meal time, give him something to eat anyway. This will save you the behavior issues that come with a hungry child. If he wants a choice, give him the choice between two fruits, or "Would you like cheese or peanut butter with your apple?" Other times choices may sound like this, "Would you like milk or water with your dinner?"
All of these examples are easy to prepare, and easy to offer and we all probably have these foods and drinks available anyway. A reusable bottle of water is as easy to pack as a Gatorade, and fruit is as easy to pack as a prepackaged cookie snack and so on. If you pack a Tupperware full of watermelon for a summer outing and you offer it, guess what they will eat?
Do you not know that your body is a temple of the holy spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? 1 Corinthians6:19-20
We are called to parent and part of that is to provide our children with nourishment and teach them through example how to take care of themselves and make healthy choices. If you have junk on your shelves, they will eat junk. If you have fruit in the refrigerator drawers, show them that the fruit is there so they see it as a healthy choice and that it is available. If all you have are healthy foods, teach them how to prepare them for themselves. Can they make a cheese and fruit plate, pour themselves a glass of milk, find some nuts in the pantry, or even pour a bowl of cereal? My kids like to grate cheese and make "cracker nachos" on saltines. It is simple and they can do it by themselves.
Parenting does not mean you love your baby so much you give him junk. Loving your child and parenting helps you say no to the fake foods that are marketed toward our children and yes to a healthy lifestyle.
Train a boy in the way he should go; even when he is old, he will not swerve from it.
