nothing better than gangly 15yo tucking into 5 weetabix straight after huge dinner?

[lightlypoached]

AIBU as a mother to think there is nothing better than watching your 15 yo gangly, long-legged lovely boy tucking into a giant bowl of cereal just after demolishing a giant dinner of pasta?

But teens are well known for emptying kitchen cupboards.
I used to shop daily for the teen years it was just easier.
I did used to buy say 20 yogurts a week to feed 3 ppl, then as the children hit teens, all yogurts gone within hours of being bought. If they hungry you feed them, if weetabix is the choice for fillers then ok, I vaguely remember mine was pasta and cheese and the yogurts.
If I needed them to not eat something for any reason I told them or left a note on it.

Teens are lovely. I say this as a parent and also as someone who works with teens. I have girls but friends of mine with boys have to keep the larder stocked for them and their friends. With girls it all seems to be instagram and falling out. I have watched then grow up and recently found an old memory card from a camera. They were very cute baby/ toddler and until about aged 9. Then tween hell from 9- 13. After that another wonderful stage.

Isn't that standard for teenage boys with their growth spurts? Completely hollow legs and always hungry. My cousin used to clear the house of bread and cheese after school.

I posted on here because I enjoy seeing my scrawny boy eating well, he has always been a fussy eater and its nice to him actually wanting to eat. That is all.

If I had a scrawny girl I dare say I'd be saying the same thing!

70is Brilliant! Have yourself a little dance of joy somewhere unobserved

DS13 is best mates with two girls. Their parents both also have sons, and both sets of parents are very conscious of what their DD's eat but smile indulgently when their DS' eat ridiculously large portions. There's definitely something in the whole "boys can eat what they like" thing for some parents.

DS13 has phases where he's unfillable then goes for a couple of months eating 'normal' amounts. However, he does around 8/9 sports classes/clubs a week, is almost 6 foot and can out-run, out-swim and out-perform me at the gym. So I tend to not worry about quantity and make sure it's quality.

DS7 is a nightmare and would survive on bagels and M&Ms given chance so again, I focus on quality with him because I don't think he'll ever be a big eater.

Trust me it's all "Instagram and fallings out"with boys too. Boys are just as emotional and insecure as girls, and their friendships can be just as difficult. Anyway, I would be happy if my skinny, picky kid of either sex ate like a horse, I'm just trying to put some meat on the bone!

It is weird. I started the thread as a mum who’s delighted in her big boy thriving and lapping up food in a good, healthy way. It then turned a bit dark.
But, bringing it back to it’s original intent. My lovely, scrumptious boy who is now over 6 feet tall, and who started the day with a 2 hour bike ride, spent some of it gaming, cooked dinner with me and after weetabix-gate is now out having fun with his mates, wearing his 28 inch waist jeans. I’m happy with that.

My dd2 is home still from school and ate whole homemade pizza and a lintz santa, and a banana and now making avocado on toast for "snack"
She has been for a run, surfed for two hours and then walked the dog...
She also usually plans the next meal while eating...
She is not overweight.
I love hungry teens... Its a joy after the years of fussy toddlers to have appreciative audiences for good home cooked food.

My DS is only little but when he's in eating form I love to see him demolishing bowls of food. I think most mums love to see their children being nourished.

@lightlypoached

Its not wierd at all
Its a nurturing thing... We are programme to feed our young.. To increase the likelihood of survival and passing on of our genes.
A mother lion goes out hunting to feed her cubs... Why bother Mrs lion? I'd get down the spa and do something about that bikini line if I was you... But she is driven to keep her cubs alive
Humans are really no different hence if our children eat well there is the sense that they are "OK"

Notso, why?

I'd find it greedy. If he's still hungry then that's fine he can eat more food, but to eat that many is not something I'd want to encourage.
DH and his brothers were raised with this kind of 5 weetabix mentality and they all really struggle with portion control as adults. As they are now men in late 40's and early 40's no longer growing, playing sports everyday at school or football for hours on end in the evenings they don't burn off the gigantic portions they've been brought up to think are normal.

My DC1 is fed at school five times a day for precisely this reason.
You've lost me there sorry, what reason?

My 17 year old has spent the week devouring toasted cheese sandwiches. He is 5'10, but still growing apparently.
This is a boy who was restricted to white foods because of aspergers, so although my food bill takes a bashing, I love the variety that he eats now. My 11 year old is another one who plans the next meal whilst eating!!

Yawn yawn fucking yawn, why can some MN not allow a light hearted post or even a proud mum to make a statement without pulling out your soap box.
Go and start your own thread where you can preach your own opinions/philosophies/beliefs and disregard anything that doesnt fit with your narrow view point, and leave this to be what it started out as.

My 6foot 2 17 year old is off the 7 Weetabix at the moment. He is on the scrambled eggs, sausages and bagels an hour after his huge dinner instead. He is like a rake and due another growth spurt I reckon.

The other day he found a bagel in his trouser pocket he had put their for safe keeping incase his brother ate the last one!

@weak I love you mwah!

Still with you OP - it isn't really about the food, it's about seeing your dc just 'grow'...and not in size either.

Nothing wierd at all about the thread, it's about being a Mum at a certain point in time. My DS also has 'food' issues to do with his ASD, and he's really trying to improve his diet now....but I look at him now, and just feel so proud of him as he turns into a grown up I could literally burst with pride.

I don't think the amounts he's eating are weird. I've a 12 year old who eats a ton each day

What is weird is .. oh I dunno. The delight you're taking in it? I can't put my finger on it. Just how you describe this stuff is a bit odd

My 17 year old 6”4 type 1 diabetic would love to be able to just eat what he wants he’s an endless pit so it’s carb free snacks that go in our house peperamis carrots whole bags of the things etc would dread to see his sugars after a bowl of pasta and 5 weetabix would be a nightmare

My 20 year old DS is permanently 'starving' and even resorted to eating fish pie the other day (doesn't like fish as it's not the same as 'holiday fish'😬) Was quite chuffed when he said "you know what mum - it's actually not that bad"🤩🤩🤩

And i have to remind him that the 2kgs of strawberries/blueberries (expensive fruits) are actually for SHARING and not all for him to eat whilst standing with the fridge door open

I escaped this the first time, I suspect I won't be so lucky with DS2.

It is about nurturing and caring for our babies. It’s the same feeling I get when I see the ginormous trainers by the door. How did my little baby get so big and strong?

Iweak the clue is in the topic.

It's how I got an eating disorder. Not allowed to eat except for the three meals I was given a day, at portion sizes which were chosen for me

Maybe so. But many people who ate pretty much what they wanted (as a kid) got eating disorders too. And many people who were restricted, did NOT get an eating disorder. Because you are encouraged to eat healthy and not eat massive portions as a child, that doesn't mean you will automatically get an eating disorder.

Yes this exactly! Had you been allowed to eat exactly what you wanted (and five weetabix after a full meal us just so bizarre I've no idea why it's being celebrated ) then you may well have ended up obese. As parents you have to guide your children in making good choices, if your parents were giving you inadequate portions and you were underweight that's different obviously. But I'd be gutted if one of my children developed an eating disorder and blamed it on me giving them "only" three meals a day.

They WERE inadequate portions and I was underweight though. They didn't believe growing teenagers needed more food than my 8 year old sister.