To think a 10 year old should eat crusts

[PenguinPizza]

My stepson is 11 in a few months and only eats the middle of his sandwiches and then is hungry 1 hour after lunch and grazes on snacks all day. I don't understand why, at nearly 11, he is having his crusts cut off or being allowed to leave them. Is this normal? Do lots of people leave their crusts? Fyi he doesn't have any problems with swallowing or have any allergies.

There will be someone along in a minute with suggestions for what to do with uneaten crusts

Haha that's exactly what I do with stale or crusts of bread. Freeze and make breadcrumbs for our chicken schnitzels

I think not eating crusts is wasteful and shows bad manners.

My DD is 5, eats her crusts and still snacks all day. I don't see what him eating the crusts has to do with him snacking through the day.
Some people just don't like crusts and dont eat them, age is irrelevant.

I’m 41 and don’t eat crusts! Children are growing, they need a lot of feeding (healthy food/snacks).

If an adult feels leaving crusts is wasteful, freeze them and use later as breadcrumbs. It really is not an insoluble dilemma. No need to appeal to anyone's inner Greta.

Why make someone eat something they think is horrible, when it's so easily avoided?

I'm 35 and I hate crusts, never eaten them

You are probably underestimating his appetite and nutritional needs. Son started eating roughly double what I do at age 11 and has continued to now (18). He went through a bit of podge at 11/12, but then shot up in height and is now a slender over-6 footer.

The crusts are neither here nor there. But why are children to be forced to eat things they dislike in a manner that would be abuse if it were to be applied to an adult? Bad manners to not eat everything? Dinner parties must be a blast at your houses!

If people are allowed to eat whatever they want and leave the rest on the side of the plate when they are children, where are the perks of leaving home?

One of the joys of not living in my mother's house any more was that I could eat my crusts or not, as I chose. If I had never had to eat them, I would never have had that small joy in the freedom of not having to.

And after resenting crusts for fifteen years or so, I didn't eat them for a bit and then when I was really hungry one day and had nothing else in the house oh, all right, it was a munchy-run and we had no cornflakes at three in the morning discovered that I liked them after all. I like them best when I have butter-and-pâtêd right up to the edge of the bread rather than leaving a half-inch gap that is dry and tasteless, mind...

Someone I know who cuts the crusts off for her child puts them in a baking tray at the bottom of the oven and gets them really crisp when the oven is used: funnily enough, the same child who refuses to eat them when they are attached to the bread absolutely loves them when he is told they are croutons and only for grown-ups, but he can have this lot as a special treat with butter on them. She is a cunning lot, that one. And actually, broken up and put in soup they are rather like very healthy croutons.

Are you looking for a reason to be annoyed with him OP? How petty, teenage boys eat loads so some crusts aren’t going to make much difference to his appetite.

Crusts? Are you serious? The crusts off processed sliced bread is some of the nastiest food around. Sensible child.

I wouldnt cut them off for him but I wouldn't be bothered if he didnt eat them as let's face it, they aren't that nice.

YABU. I'm nearly 40 and don't eat crusts they ruin the sandwich

YABVU. Boys that age are constantly ravenous. My brother used to demolish 8 Weetabix as an after school snack and have seconds at dinner. There’s never been an ounce of fat on him.

How is it bad manners to not eat something you don't like?

How is it bad manners to not eat something you don't like?

Don't you know? If it's not making you miserable then it's not good manners

I knew before I even opened this it was going to be about a step child!

Would you be so annoyed if it was your own child not eating the crusts?
Everyone is entitled to their food preferences, some people just don't like crusts.

The crust is the best bit, everyone. Seriously.

But re your Stepson... YAB a little bit U. He is a growing lad and needs lots of food.

Actually it does depend on the bread. As pp said the crusts on processed white bread are disgusting, as is the rest of the loaf, so if you're feeding him horrible pappy white bread OP, you've only yourself to blame if he leaves the crusts.

Crusts on nutty bread or crusty loaves, preferably home made crusty loaves, are the food of the gods. Especially if warm from the oven with lots of butter.

Just stop making him sandwiches. Plenty of other lunch options.

I'm 50 & have never eaten crusts. They're dry & awful. He'll be having growth spurts & teens need to eat a huge amount anyway. I was tall & skinny but ate like a horse from age 12-20. Wish I could do that now!

If he doesn't like the crust then he doesn't like it, it's no big deal.

Would you force a child to eat something they don’t like?

I’m in my 40’s and don’t eat crusts. Don’t make my children eat them either as that would make me a hypocrite.

There are plenty of other battles to fight.

Would you force a child to eat something they don’t like?
Yes, it wouldn't occur to me not to. This is how I was brought up.