Is it unreasonable not to give a 9 year old breakfast?

[Towelsandcats]

Just as it says above really - otherwise fairly healthy diet but breakfast causes rushing in the morning.

[Towelsandcats]

They were older yes but I think what does grate it that both my brothers were encouraged to eat a big breakfast but I wasn't. It was the same in other aspects of life that involved food. So maybe I am cross that I still have weight/diet issues because of this (and it is because of this!) 8 or 9 is when I remember it starting.

[nokidshere]

My 17 year old heads for the kitchen as soon as he opens his eyes in the morning and has done since he was very small.

In contrast i stopped trying to make my 14 year old eat breakfast when he was around 3 yrs, he just isn't interested in food till about 10am so he takes something to schol for first break.

I'm neither lazy nor neglectful!

[Eva50]

Ds3 (9) rarely eats breakfast on school days. He can't eat that early as it makes him feel sick. He sometimes has a glass of milk but even that's a hit or a miss. He takes a filled mini-wrap or sandwich and a drink with him to have at break.

[WoodleyPixie]

Dd is 9 and a nightmare with breakfast. Although she's not set a great example as I can't face food first thing.

Ds2 is 13 and has always eaten a good breakfast. He's the type you probably don't really want to speak to on a morning until he's eaten

I buy dd things that I know aren't great nutritionally but at least she will eat them, such as the cereal bars and breakfast biscuits. She'll have a banana or nectarine or other piece of fruit and eat it on the way to school.

I always got myself up for school from juniors. I'm not sure what my mum did as she's didn't work and I had younger school age siblings but I remember getting up and getting dressed and going to school alone (my sister was collected by bus as she went to a sen school) my junior school was two minutes walk away and my dad was at work. He left early and home late. Senior school was an hours walk away and I definitely got myself up and made my way. Often without breakfast.

There would have been bread, milk and cereal at home but no one made me breakfast or checked if I had eaten.

[YeOldeTrout]

I could have stopped eating altogether from age 8 & my parents wouldn't have noticed until I got skinny because we all made our own meals whenever. Never could I find this remotely neglectful. Plus DS refused breakfast at age 9 quite often, we had to not make a battle out of it. Takes after me, maybe.

Friend had an alcoholic single dad. She'd get up, get own breakfast, & take self off to school at age 6-7. Dad wasn't around at all in the mornings. He gave her the back of his hand when he was cross & forgot Xmas & birthdays. That's neglectful.

[queenofthishouse]

What a confusing thread. What do you want out of it op?

Should your parents have gotten you up early enough for breakfast - yes. But you day you preferred a lie in. Do you wish your parents had forced you out of bed?

How did they encourage your brothers to eat and you not too? Did they get up earlier ? Did they ask you not to eat as much?

[TenForward82]

This thread is nuts. Yes, not making a 9 yo have breakfast, whether it was you or your parents, simply because "there's not enough time", is neglectful. It would be different if the kid in question genuinely wasn't hungry in the mornings, although I would still make every effort to insist they eat something, however small.

If it was an isolated thing, I'm not sure we can extrapolate from that that they were abusive, but to start and continue a thread pretending the parent in question is you then surprise! it's actually not is a bit weird. Why not just ask the question outright instead of "tricking" people?

[DarthVadersTailor]

My 10yr old fixes himself breakfast in the mornings, he's more than capable of doing this and knows what "breakfast foods" he can and can't have in the morning. Yes it saves me and my other half time in the morning (though I'm more than happy to make a hot breakfast like scrambled eggs etc if required) when we aren't exactly firing on all cylinders and it teaches him independence of a sort too. Another poster said that at this sort of age a child cannot be trusted with this but I disagree - it's just a case of educating them what they need to eat (having drilled into DS that cereal is a breakfast food he looks in horror when I indulge in a rare night time bowl!), why they need to eat it & making sure certain foods (like sugary cakes etc) aren't within reach though usually we tend to both wake up at similar times so I generally know what he's having anyway. Even when he's not supervised though he still is able to feed himself correctly though.

I do think it's unreasonable not to offer anything to eat in the morning though and time really shouldn't be a factor in that compared to their well-being. Once a person gets used to not having breakfast (myself for example) it's a hard habit to break and frankly it's just not a good one, of course it affects their concentration levels just like it would anyone else!!! I'm sorry but it's sheer laziness in my opinion to not ensure that a child doesn't leave the house washed, fed and dressed properly and I'd personally feel like a parental failure if I didn't ensure this was the case every morning!!!

[Atenco]

I was like you, OP, expected to get my own breakfast and didn't, preferring to lie in. But my dm wasn't neglectful, she had a different parenting style. She believed in giving us responsability for ourselves and in a lot of ways that has stood me in good stead, but in other ways, it was problematic. For example, I always considered breakfast the most important meal in the day as far as children are concerned.

[miaowmix]

I don't understand this because surely if you can remember preferring a lie-in to getting up at this age, you can remember if you were hungry or not in the mornings? If you were hungry, then it's pretty crap of your folks.

I'm just not one for over-analysing childhood, or anything really, so I find this a very odd thread.

[GobShites]

mikado1 would you mind sharing your recipe for the pancakes and granola bars. I've been a bit lazy lately and have got into a rut of giving DS (who is nearly three) crisps and biscuits for snacks everyday and I really need some inspiration.

[NotMeNotYouNotAnyone]

Yabu

Kids need to eat before heading to school. If she doesn't feel like eating first thing, have s banana or cereal bar on the way to school.

You need to make more time so you both need to get up earlier

[Goshthatsspicy]

Yes, l'm confused actually.
If you preferred to stay in bed, maybe they did try - and gave up!

[Booboostwo]

I could never eat breakfast,it made me feel sick. I spent years as a child preparing my breakfast and then throwing it away. My stomach only got going 2-3 hours after I had waken up, light lunch and then I would eat non-stop through to dinner from mid-afternoon onwards. I am better now as long as I don't wake up earlier than 7 am.

[MammaTJ]

My DD gets up in plenty of time to have breakfast, has plenty of options. She would probably have to wake at 5 to feel like breakfast at 8 though.

She does manage a cereal bar or a piece of fruit, so not too bad.

[Reubs15]

It's been proven that children do better in school if they've had breakfast. It's worth it and she'll get into good habits.

[Ham69]

Breakfast is so important for a growing person and essential for concentration. Please don't do it.

[Fairenuff]

OP could you clarify one thing. Did you actually want breakfast or not?

[Sazzle41]

The reason a lot of schools have breakfast clubs isn't just poverty - its because its been found children perform better when they have eaten regularly. Doesn't matter what poor parenting you had, you need to get up earlier and offer something. Time management: while they are getting dressed, you head to the fridge. A banana/cereal bar and a small glass of milk would take seconds to sort. If its because it takes your child forever to eat anything have just the milk and then the rest on the way .

[WhatDidITellYou]

Have a banana on the way out the door

I don't really eat myself until about 1pm everyday but survive on coffee until then

[FunnysInLaJardin]

during the holidays my 9yo has an array or breakfast foods, croissants, crepes, brioche, cereal, eggs, bacon etc etc when DH doesn't have to work and has loads of time. During term time its toast and/or a cereal bar and be as quick as you like. I try to make sure they have something though

[MrsGentlyBenevolent]

Make a jam/nutella/banana sandwich the night before. Breakfast ready in an instance, maybe a bit of fruit on the side like orange segments.

[Doublebubblebubble]

I really don't understand how this can be a serious question from a parent. You get a bowl, pour cereal, pour milk and eat. Literally Takes less than two minute to prepare. If you think how quickly your in my mind, poor child is eating is too slow for your liking then wake up earlier. Simple. My 5 year old goes to a breakfast club for school (otherwise of course I make her breakfast - and a big one at that) - every weekend (and during the school holidays) because I work early during weekdays.. ( the breakfast club is £2.50 a day I might add and she goes everyday) that starts at 7:30 in the morning and it takes me 2 buses to take her there before I go to work. I think that if you're an adult and you skip breakfast, that's on you but to deny your child food because you cant be bothered is beyond neglectful and utterly disgusting... Would you ask the same question about lunch or dinner??

[Iliveinalighthousewiththeghost]

YABVU. Just get up earlier. We're all rushing around in the morning,
Or how about giving her a cereal bar