What's the obsession with what our kids eat??

[LiteraryDevil]

Every time I look at MN there's a post asking if x,y and z is suitable for dc's breakfast, lunch, dinner, whatever. Said posts are usually full of healthy ish foods and anything like crisps or chocolate is said to be an unusual addition because of course no one in their right mind would feed their DC "unhealthy" food
What's with this obsession with what our kids are eating? Are parents passing on their own unhealthy obsessions onto their kids? Or is it a way to boast about what a good parent you are because you only give your child healthy meals and fruit for snacks? Haribo have obviously never passed their lips
Is this just a case or MN versus RL or am I being unreasonable to find it so bloody annoying?! (And yes I know I don't have to be here or read them)

I don't think it comes across as showy in so far as "Oh you gave your dc a chocolate bar!?! Little Walter only eats organic vegan sawdust". I think its more to gauge what others consider as normal foods and portion sizes.

That said, they do often get carried away; someone's 3yo would apparently starve on what is a seemingly reasonable and healthy portion for a 7yo whilst others have children that are over 6ft tall at the age of 12 and could eat an elephant in one sitting.

School is the worst. My DS’s primary school is very pro healthy eating. This is good, I’m not criticising it as such because there ARE children who only eat nuggets and microchips for tea and I get that healthy food and small portions in school will help avoid childhood obesity.
However, my son is very skinny and scrawny. All cakes/puddings/pies/custards etc are banned in the school. Mains are always things like paella and pudding is fruit or fruit jelly, every day. No spongecake and custard etc, like we used to have. The portions of dinner are tiny and DS is absolutely famished when I pick him up. There are very strict rules regarding packed lunch (crisps are banned and things like pork pies, etc). By the end of the school term, DS’s shoulderblades and collar bones and spine stick out so much that it looks awful. Manage to fatten him up a teeny bit over half term etc but then he drops back down during school time.

bobstersmum..... I always click on them, I think I like to raise my own blood pressure
Posts about what to feed the kids for tea I have no problem with, they are usually worth reading and give me ideas. It’s the ones that actually agonise over whether Freddie has had enough for breakfast when it’s been a bowl of organic full fat yogurt with a handful of mixed berries, just ask Freddie, I’m sure he could say whether he’s still hungry or not.
There was a post a couple of weeks ago about a child who had nibbled a little Easter egg as a treat then felt unwell because they never eat chocolate, these are the kids that are going to have future food issues. Once they are older and out with their mates with a tenner in their pocket their first port of call will be McDonald’s, I’ve seen it with a couple of my DD’s friends. One of her friends literally scoffed half a traybake of brownie at my house because she wasn’t allowed sugary food at home. If she was allowed it at home then she probably would have just had a slice.

Someone will be here in a minute Ansumpasty to tell you that never mind shoulder blades and collar bones, you should be able to see completely through your child or else they are a flabby mess.

Humble brag and validation mostly, wanting to appear the perfect parent bullshit and wanting to fit in.

IMO less than 10% are genuine.

I have yet to see anyone post where it wasn't obvious they already had a handle on healthy eating.

They are 50/50 signal boosting and someone said something that didn't 100% confirm my ideals of bringing up my child.

Yes I find these threads so tedious. There seems to be some weird pride in posting that your child eats a totally unbelievable amount of food (cue ridiculous list e.g. entire loaf of homemade bread spread thickly with home churned butter) but is "thin as a rake", "but then he is very active".

Yeah I don't get the 'unusual additions' in lunch boxes. My dc have either a cake or kitkat in their lunchboxes every day. Bad mum here.

@LovesMaltesers To give you a different perspective my DS (2.5 yrs) has a genetic condition where his kidneys don’t retain salt well. We have to replace it in his diet or he will die. Therefore he has crisps and other salty snacks every day of his life, as prescribed by the hospital dietician and renal consultant. He is underweight.

I live in a prosperous area of London where all the other kids eat quinoa and artisan sourdough and find the judgemental looks and comments very tedious. Things are not always black and white and treats for young kids with greater calorie needs are not the end of the world.

I grew up with a family of kids who were never allowed sugar. At birthday parties they gorged themselves until they were sick.