My child is a greedy pig. Is it my fault?

[Paddingtonjuice]

My 10 year old child is eating us out of house and home. I have always had a relaxed attitude to food but think I need to rethink now. 12 year old is great, just has his meals plus 1 bag of crisps per day, 1 penguin, plenty of fruit. Today 10 year old has eaten cereal for breakfast, tuns sandwich for lunch. Sausage, mash and vegetables for tea. Then while I have not been watching, 2 bags of monster munch, 4 lollipops that I had saved for Halloween, 3 ice lollies, 1 entire punnet of strawberries, 2 trios, 2 sausage rolls. 2 apples. About 6 crackers with butter. Then went to bed complaining they were hungry. This is not normal is it? They are actually skinny. Am I right in thinking they will overweight be soon if I don’t stop this?

You need to get some decent food in the house. They'll be hungry because they're eating empty calories. They're both eating far too much junk food.

Cereal isn't filling. Swap for porridge with fruit or something.
Previous posters are correct, this child is growing and needs the energy.

The thing that has surprised me about this thread is that I never realised that to someone who doesn’t know what a penguin is, the assumption would be an ice cream. That makes so much sense! It should be an ice cream name!!

80s/90s crisps and a chocolate bar were standard lunch box fodder. I feel a bit of a hypocrite DD only is allowed chocolate at the weekends 😬 She has school dinners which always include a pudding but if you do a packed lunch they dissuade you from putting in crisps and definitely no chocolate.

Yabu for calling your child a greedy pig. Urgh that awful. It's really common for children to eat lots when they're growing. Do you call him this to his face?

It’s a growth spurt.
Don’t refer to your child in that manner don’t even think it.
You’ll get comments without using such terms.

If my DC had cereal for breakfast and just a tuna sandwich and then a main dinner, he would be very very hungry and would eat all those snacks and more.

Cut up a load of peppers, cucumber, carrots etc and keep in tupperware in the fridge. Offer as snacks when hungry. Stop keeping junk in the house.

So envious of people who's kids will eat this kind of thing.
1 of mine would eat carrots, 1 would eat cucumber (but I wouldn't expect it to fill them up for more than a few minutes!) And neither would go anywhere near a pepper in any recognisable form.
And not through lack of trying.
My DDs friend (theyre 14) was incredulous that shed never eaten a salad.

The ‘12yo is great, 10yo is a greedy pig’ phrasing really bothers me. There is very much a moral equivocation with food being created. But cereal for breakfast is terrible for blood sugar and could set up a really uncontrollable hunger that the child is then blamed for as though it’s some kind of character failing. I get that the OP might not be saying these things to her children but it sounds like there is a dangerous attitude towards food and appetite in the household and the hungry, growing ten year old who gives into powerful temptation is going to absorb some very negative ideas about themselves which will set up a future unhealthy relationship with food and hunger.

Literally cant believe all the wailing at a bag or crisps and a chocolate bar daily. That would add up to just under 200 calories for most bags of crisps and bars. I used to have a bag of crisps every snack time through primary and secondary school (I know the pleasure police have now insisted on fruit). I am a perfectly healthy size 8-10 5ft 6 woman, I excersise 4 times a week. Shockingly a bag of hula hoops a day hasnt made me some overweight lay about.

My dd 17 has got pretty fat. She wants to feel not just full but stuffed i think. Trying not to shame her. She has exams next year i hope. But threads started by posters saying it is abusive to let yr kids become overweight! Delusional judgement.

I still have a bag of crisps and a chocolate bar most days!
I eat fruit, veg and healthy meals as well, and am a healthy weight.

I think I'd stop worrying about what your child eats and take a look a way the your are talking about one of your children while the other great. If you keep talking about them like that they will have food issues and that will probably lead to obesity/anorexia. It's what happened in my family. Also it's really fucking horrible of you

LOL wait until your 12yo hits puberty..... then he'll be eating non stop.

That's quite alot. But my five year old lives for food. Mine excercise plenty too. But all day it's food food food. I do have to say no and it's nearly dinner time to her alot.

Alot of people do the basket thing. You could put in things like a little tub of dry Cheerios. An apple. Raisins. Carrot or cucumber sticks. Then be stricter with the junk. I find my kids like a picnic plate for dinner.

So yesterday mine had a tuna cob. Cucumber circles. Strawberry and apple sliced up. Then I put a small square of shortcake on the plate.

Also buy goodies miniature. So mini donuts. Mini treatsize chocolate. I tend to do that rather than a huge amount. Plus I often will split a packet of crisps between both of them.

But she's not a greedy pig. Don't be harsh. Maybe she's going to spurt. Maybe she's bored maybe 2020 is abit crap and she enjoys munching lol.

I agree it's a growth spurt, mine is very skinny and I'm lucky to get her to eat three forkfuls for dinner but when she gets a growth spurt she'll eat everything, ask for seconds, want another meal an hour later and clear the house of any treats.

As for the treats - if they're in a house, some people can't resist not eating them. So keep them out of reach or out of the house if you don't want him eating too much sugar.

@jessstan1

He's growing, it's not unusual for kids to be always 'hungry'. Boys are the worst. Sometimes when they are skinny, you don't know where they put it! Mine was like that, also had knee pain from time to time, but it does settle down.

You do seem to have a lot of junk food in the house, no offence meant but I had to look up 'Monster Munch'. Try to have less. He will still raid the cupboards and fridge but will have to settle for more healthy snacks. Bigger meals with different things to eat on the plate too which take longer to eat and digest will fill up for longer.

I wouldn't worry though, he'll outgrow this phase.

you had to look up Monster Munch?

Have you been living under a rock all your life?

Or have you never heard of Quavers and Wotsits either?

Mine are older now but I only bought one packet of penguins or similar a week so only enough for lunches. They had crisps on Friday only. No other crap in the house. If you have enough for several bags each a day, you’re part of the problem.

Cereal isn't very filling, maybe try porridge or eggs for breakfast and more protein based snacks , send like a growth spurt

My DC are 10 and 14 and while they're not especially healthy eaters, they always ask before having a snack.the 10 year old can often be persuaded to eat fruit the 14 year old, not really.we dont kerpbiscuits in the house generally but they do eat crisps. Yesterday she had a crumpet , sometimes she has breadsticks, or cheese, which I think are marginally better.

Agree with others. Try and increase protein: add some extra butter beans or mixed beans or lentils to the main meals. Offer hummus or avocado on toast as a snack or a poached egg as they keep you full for longer. Nuts instead of crisps. Good luck.

I don’t get the people who are saying “if they’re not overweight, it’s fine”. If they were overweight, you’d think that diet was fairly horrifying. It’s not actually any healthier because they are skinny.

I watched some bbc archive film from 1956, filmed in a S Wales chippy. The portions served were about a third or a quarter of what you would get today. Less than half. Its easy to eat everything in sight without even thinking about it. Don't have crisps, choc bars, cakes in the house, certainly not as part of everyday food. And stop driving them everywhere.

Sounds like my two ds. They’ve always eaten a lot, still do as teenagers. And yes they are also very thin.

If they are hungry, let them eat. Increase portions size for meals. And look at how much they are doing during the day. My two are always on the go, always have and are spending much more than the expected amount if energy in their day just because they can’t keep still.

Also do NOT compare your ds and your dd eating habit. Unfortunately boys metabolism seen to be quite different And they just donut need the same amount of food. This will get even more obvious as they become teenagers.

I think it’s terrible to use the words ‘greedy pig’ of a ten year old who seems at the moment to be eating the right amount of food to address their calorie requirements. I would rethink that attitude sharp.

It sounds like your 10 year old is due a growth spurt but, to be completely honest, wouldn't be that surprised if he developed a food addiction to cope with his mother's disgusting treatment.
Calling one child "great" because they don't eat much and calling your other child "a greedy pig" shows YOUR issues with food - there's nothing wrong with either of them! Most normal, good parents would respond to their hungry child and try to find out the problem and feed them - not bully and insult them for needing food and try to stop them getting the amount they need.
Honestly, I really feel for your 10 year old - are you this preferential to your eldest in everything or just the amount they eat? (Which, btw, is the weirdest reason to so clearly choose a favourite child).