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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think 3.30pm is too late for a child to have lunch

44 replies

NeeChee · 13/10/2018 14:44

I will be picking up DSC10 soon, he has sports on a Saturday morning and we pick him up afterwards. He always comes straight from sports practice, and every week his mum has not given him any lunch.
The poor kid is hungry, and it also messes up our family mealtimes as eating lunch at 4pm means he is not hungry at tea-time. Often me and DP have already eaten at normal lunchtime (12-1pm)
Part of me does wonder if its a ploy on his behalf, telling mum he isn't hungry so we will give him fast food, as we feel like we have to feed him immediately.
Surely though it would make sense to take him somewhere for lunch or pack sandwiches or snacks for afterwards before meeting us?

OP posts:
PotteringAlong · 13/10/2018 14:45

Why can’t you take sandwiches with you instead of fast food?

user139328237 · 13/10/2018 14:47

Take a freshly prepared salad with you this afternoon and I'm sure he'll have been fed next week...

cushioncovers · 13/10/2018 14:48

User Grin. But yeah 3.30pm is late for lunch if your have your evening meal at 5-6ish.

user139328237 · 13/10/2018 14:49

More seriously depending on what time sports practice starts (and to a certain extent what sport and level) it may be that he hasn't had the chance to eat since late morning so he'd be hungry by mid afternoon even if he'd eaten an early lunch.

dancemom · 13/10/2018 14:49

What time does his event start?

ADastardlyThing · 13/10/2018 14:51

Give him a snack until teatime?

TwoGinScentedTears · 13/10/2018 14:51

I'd take a cheese sandwich and an apple to pick up. And push your evening meal back by an hour. Problem solved, surely?

maddiemookins16mum · 13/10/2018 14:52

I’d just give him a banana (and a cake 😳), he won’t starve for another couple of hours until your main meal. Yes he might be hungry but not starved.

maddiemookins16mum · 13/10/2018 14:53

And he doesn’t need it immediately, he’s 10 years old not 10 weeks/months.

Allthewaves · 13/10/2018 14:53

But if he's doing sports practise and you pick him straight up then when he suppose to eat? Perhaps his mum gives him late breakfast before he goes to do sport.

I'd adjust and have myself a brunch around 10/11 then have family tea at 4pm.

MonsterKidz · 13/10/2018 14:54

Depends on when his sports starts.

My DS has football every week at 12:30pm and we try to feed him lunch before going but it’s difficult as he’s not quite ready and we need at about a half hour before then. He tends to eat a little and then is starving afterwards!

We just take snacks with us :)

And luckily mine still eats tea fine at usual time.

ButAIBUtho · 13/10/2018 14:55

DSC?

Who is this?

What time are they dropped off? Speak the person dropping off.

ButAIBUtho · 13/10/2018 14:55

Is it a stepchild?

If so, get DH go speak to his mother. Problem solved.

Whatever did people do before Mumsnet? Hmm

greenlynx · 13/10/2018 14:56

3.30 pm is late for lunch. Maybe he is telling you that he hasn’t got any lunch because he’s very hungry after his sport?

eggncress · 13/10/2018 14:56

Give him a sandwich and glass of milk and have your dinner a bit later. You sound quite rigid but I think this call for some flexibility.

Ellisandra · 13/10/2018 14:57

My daughter doesn’t like lunch before her Saturday sports. The timing is wrong for her, she’s not hungry yet, and she hates feeling full when playing.

So, she eats at weird times on a Saturday. She’s just had carrot sticks and hummus on the drive between tap dance and tennis at 2.30pm.

What’s the big deal?
You don’t have to give him fast food.
You don’t have to give him a full meal that stops him having a meal with you later.

Sounds more like a dig at his mum to me 🙄

RoboJesus · 13/10/2018 14:57

It fine. He probably has a late breakfast or snacks before he goes. Just bring him a sandwich and a banana. No big deal.

Racecardriver · 13/10/2018 14:58

Yeah, so if you get him immediately after sports when else is he supposed to have lunch then?

Lucked · 13/10/2018 14:59

My children have a later cooked breakfast at weekends often between 9 and 10 so not too hungry at 12 and we often have lunch at 2ish.

I would take a small packed lunch to eat in the car home or wherever you are going.

Ellisandra · 13/10/2018 15:00

What do you mean by snacks for afterwards, but he meets you? When you pick him up from sports?

His father needs to sort it out.

ADastardlyThing · 13/10/2018 15:05

This is so easily resolved that I agree with a pp that it sounds more like a dig at the mum.

Flowerpot2005 · 13/10/2018 15:05

Just take him a packed sandwich, if he's genuinely hungry, he'll eat it. As others have said, push tea time back a bit. Nobody will die of hunger either way 😊

Caprisunorange · 13/10/2018 15:06

It’s a bit of a sort of non question though isn’t it? You can’t make DSC’s mum do anything whilst he’s in her care. She can parents whoever she likes

ButAIBUtho · 13/10/2018 15:11

This is so easily resolved that I agree with a pp that it sounds more like a dig at the mum.

This was exactly my first thought.

youarenotkiddingme · 13/10/2018 15:12

My ds does sports and trains all sorts of various hours over the week from starting at 6am to finishing at 9pm.

Totally agree with others that he doesn't need fast food (that won't fill him up) but the right foods.

So at 3.30pm after sport he needs protein - glass of milk, meat based snack (chicken and veg sticks) he can have this in car. Then make sure your dinner is balanced but with carbs so he's not starving in the middle of the night!