Kids no longer taught to clean their plates?

[user1489670695]

It's March break, and I've had a couple of my kids' friends over on and off for meals. (ages 11 and 14)

I've noticed they all seem to serve themselves larger portions than they can actually eat (none of that "plating" nonsense in my house!!), so there's a lot of waste food on their plates. I'd noticed that before too, whenever we had kid guests. Lots of uneaten food on their plates. It doubly annoys me as money is tight, I'm a single mom, shopping for and carrying groceries is hard work, etc etc.

There's not much I guess I can do about it (I compost, so that's a bit better than just trashing it)- but just wanted to rant, and ask if you teach your kids to not waste food?

I was raised up to be very conscientious about wasting food and I always nag at my own kids about serving themselves as much as they can eat and eating it all up. I would have thought, in this day and age, with all the stuff about environment and waste and so on, kids would have been taught to be even more careful with wasting food. But apparently not.

"Why are you cooking so much food in the first place? "

So for example I'd put out a dish of mac n cheese, and a pile of chicken nuggets/fish fingers/wings- standard meals for when the kids have friends over.

None of it goes to waste- except the stuff on the friends' plates.

Chucking away leftovers is weird and wasteful.

A friend did this recently at mine, she helped to clear the table and tidy up which was nice but threw away left over carbonara sauce which was about a perfect amount for two small children.

None of it goes to waste- except the stuff on the friends' plates

So now you know that you are cooking too much. Next time, cook fewer nuggets or wings/less mac n cheese.

Job done. Easy.

Never mind all the plating debating... wtf is 'March break' and why am I not on holiday?!

@PoorYoric "We were all made to clear our plates as kids. That's why we're all fat."

Absolutely that is not the reason! There is a ton of literature on the food industry/sugar and corn syrup/activity levels/processed food / sedentary lifestyles/ etc which are considered to cause to obesity.

I never heard of "clearing your plate"- which is practice born out of respect for food and the hard work which goes into producing it- as a contributing factor.

If we have 'serve yourself' dinners I've always told mine to only put on their plates what they think they are going to eat (and no that doesn't mean a massive pile of sweetcorn and nothing else ds!) They are generally sensible about it. I do notice some of their friends tend to pile it on and then not eat even half of it. I think they think they must be in a eat as much as you can buffet restaurant or something! (or they don't like my cooking

I plate up, then everyone can help themselves to seconds (or not)

Or is this the "plating up nonsense" you mean?

It works for us, no food waste

Do try the "plating nonsense". Plate 1 chicken wing. Then hand the seconds and thirds wing by wing. Plate one spoon full of pasta, same procedure. You won't bin more than half a wing/ half a spoon of pasta this way. Repeat offenders (we had a few) are asked "are you going to eat another burger, I binned two last week?" and that usually prompts them to think before taking more than they will eat.

What HarryPottersMagicWand said... exactly.

Anyway, kids serving themselves loads and thennot eating it would bug me, AND it's bad manners too!

Plating up sorts this IMO

a pile of chicken nuggets/fish fingers/wings

That's a standard meal? I wouldn't offer all that. I'd say two fish fingers per child times five children and cook 10 fish fingers. I wouldn't cook "a pile".

You are right if they choose how much they put on their plates they should eat it at that age.

My kids eat tons, but when their friends are here I put a small amount out and offer seconds if they finish, otherwise there is so much waste!

I'm with you with the whole not plating up when the kids friends are over, I have 4 and alot of the time they have friends round at the same time, so at least 8 kids. It does my head in to keep asking who likes what, who wants what. Much easier to stick it int he middle and let them take what they like.

I do mostly plate up when its just us though, depending on the meal.

2 fish fingers for a 14 yr old? Mine would be on the phone to childline!

For me, this issue nothing to do with clearing your plate, portion sizes etc. It is to do with some parents not explaining to their children not to waste food by taking too much. And also being happy to throw away food their children waste, without a thought.

DD has one friend like this - all the friends ask for seconds, where necessary. This friend'll take more, even if she's not hungry, and not care that it's going to go to waste. It's how she's been brought up - she really doesn't care about food waste. (She is lovely in all other ways, though.) Nothing to do with how much you offer etc etc.

If kids are told "you must finish what you put on your plate", then they are not doing so out of respect for the food and its producers, and nobody is reducing waste. They are just eating more than they want/need in order to keep their parent/s happy. That's still a waste of food! No different to throwing it in the bin!

In terms of food wastage, the buck stops with the person buying and preparing the food.

No different to throwing it in the bin! Eh, it's totally different from throwing it in the bin, because the calories, vitamins etc are going to nourish a person, and that person will likely eat less for the next meal.

In terms of food wastage, the buck stops with the person buying and preparing the food.

No responsibility at all for the person serving themselves a plate of the food, then?

I don't see it.

For me, this issue nothing to do with clearing your plate, portion sizes etc. It is to do with some parents not explaining to their children not to waste food by taking too much. And also being happy to throw away food their children waste, without a thought.*

Exactly. It's an awareness thing.

Aren't kids "taught" how to eat sensibly and that it is not ok to waste food?

Seems all this out in the table stuff causes masses more washing up!

Put it on plates and stop criticising children - sure way to make issues around food!

Plate up small portions and tell them to ask if they want more, once they've eaten what's there.

Especially if kids aren't used to helping themselves their eyes can be bigger than their bellies (plenty of adults the same)

I've never served myself at anyone's house unless it's some kind of buffet arrangement or a treat meal like Christmas dinner. When I was growing up both my mum and other parents would just give me for example 2 sausages and a couple of spoons of mash. I thought that was normal and ensured there was enough for everyone. Otherwise friend's brother would have taken 3 sausages leaving 1 for her.

I was taught to finish my plate. I quite often eat a little bit more than I necessarily want just to 'finish it off'. It's not much, but an extra mournful or two does add up over the course of meals, months, years. I have to make a conscious effort not to do so.

We take our children to restaurants where food arrives already plated, and at home I cook and dish up a portion each according to appetite size. I don't make them finish what's on their plate, and they can have seconds if they want it. If we went somewhere to eat where there were serving dishes on the table I would gently remind them to take as much as they'd have at home. Presumably you could do something like that?

Mouthful, not mournful.

I don't make them finish what's on their plate
The issue's nothing to do with making them finish what's on their plate.

If we went somewhere to eat where there were serving dishes on the table I would gently remind them to take as much as they'd have at home.
That's because you do teach your children. The issue is that there are children that aren't taught at home, because at home, the parents are happy to throw everything away.