To despair at the crap some people feed their kids

[Apotofrealcoffee]

Currently watching a kid who can’t be more than age 3, tuck in to a packet of ‘squashie’ sweets on the bus. No sign of a tantrum, kid seems perfectly happy looking out the window, but out come the sweets. And to pre empt the ‘snobbery’ thing, the parent seems middle class to me and certainly eloquent.

I regularly see kids tucking into chocolate bars, packets of crisps, lollies, all on the school run. Many of them toddlers in their buggies dropping off older siblings. Parents meeting kids at the school gate with full packets of Oreos, bottles of pop, doughnuts.

I’ve been trying not to judge for years and have been repeatedly told it’s ’just one snapshot of their day’ but honestly, I feel like the time for judgement has entered. I have never fed my toddlers crap like that, let alone just after breakfast. My 3 year old has never had a fizzy drink.

Why, just why! AIBU to feel there needs to be some kind of very direct public health campaign at this point? Maybe even a ‘no sweets at the school gate’ rule?

They need to be fed raw potatoes to make their personalities tougher.

No, they don't NEED it but many parents also don't see the harm in an occasional bag of crisps. Not all children are obese or parented like your example.

Spoiler alert: Once they're out from under your control they'll eat whatever they want, and in copious amounts. And it's zero to do with how they are brought up or what class they belong to.

need the laugh icon 😂

He will be 11 next month.

He has improved a lot. He's had to have a NG tube twice in the past due to his restricted eating. He's under a dietician.

He's come a long way. I'm very happy with his progress and he can eat all of the ham sandwiches on white bread that his heart desires if it means that he's eating.

This is a really nasty comment to make about children

I’m usually so hot on nutrition for my kids, they eat really well

yesterday I promised my eldest I would bring a small pack of haribo for after school, he doesn’t usually ask for sweet, our usual rule is to have them with a meal, he was excited about the Halloween sweets. I think its the first time I’ve ever done that

of course my 3yo wanted the same, I can’t give them different things so she got just that. I would have been that mum. You didn’t see the kale, brocolli, sweet potato and salmon dinner that evening or anything else they had that day

dont judge

There’s no other way of conveying how large they are. Some of them can’t even run.

But nobody is objecting to the ‘occasional bag of crisps’. They’re objecting to the sheer amount of junk kids get fed by lazy parents, meaning we have terrifying obesity rates and the most common reason for kids to need emergency dentistry is to have their teeth pulled out due to cavities!

People keep talking about obesity and junk food- there are sporty, healthy kids who are overweight and skinny children who are insanely unhealthy. I don’t think we need to automatically assume overweight equals unhealthy

But the Op isnt making a public safety video
She is moaning on a predominantly middle class website what is that going to acheive ,precisely nothing
It cant be compared to the " Julie Knew her killer " advert.

In all fairness your situation sounds very extreme. The majority of the parents who feed their children crap will almost definitely have more options available to them than you.

I had two DC and they only had sweets when GPs and BIL bought them, unless it was Christmas, Easter or birthdays.

So when BIL & SIL were expecting their first (and only) DC they said categorically that the DC would not have sweets etc! When DN was 2 we went round and there was a drawer full of sweets she could help herself to, plus when I bumped into SIL and DN the child had a large sticky bun when being pushed round the supermarket!

No it isn’t. There are far too many overweight children and it’s the parents who are to blame.

I am 63 years of age and haven’t ventured near a school gate for years. Even when I did the school run I found the school gate to be the most toxic, competitive place on the planet, full of nosey judgmental, point scoring parents (bit like mumsnet) and never went near.
I have two grown up sons who ate sweets and junk food in moderation. They might even have had a bit of junk in their lunch boxes! They are both healthy happy adults. What one parent chooses to feed their child should not be of concern to anyone else unless severe abuse is involved. I find it funny that you consider other people’s children, and their dietary habits, of such intense concern.
I read so much nonsense on here about MIL causing upset by getting involved with her own grandkids (apparently a capital offence) but you assume the right to have a say on the parenting skills of total strangers!
I promise you when the kids have flown the nest, the grandparents are dead and there is time to reflect all the false concern and point scoring you read here will show itself to be irrelevant, petty and childish. I speak from experience.

yabu to judge and be so goady

It was made very clear that my son has a restricted diet due to medical reasons.

The conversation at that point wasn't about the majority of parents, it was about those who have children with restricted diets such as ND and other medical reasons.

There was a report the other day saying that kids teeth are the best they’ve been in several years. Fewer cavities etc.

No. Go back to your original post. You were objecting to the one child you saw being given one bag of sweets with no other context. Don't dress it up to be something else now 😆

You have just admitted you yourself were in Greggs....

In many cases I would call children’s diets abuse

I also know adults who view their childhood diet as abuse for which they are paying the consequences with poor health and weight management difficulties.

and I know of one such adult who is feeding her children with care and love, encouraging them to walk to school and generally not being the parent her parent was. Breaking the chain.

little chubby children should be a warning sign

I agree. Kids just seem to be constantly stuffing their faces as if they can't go 15 minutes with eating something. Probably why we have an obesity crisis in the young.

I quite often hear the argument : Kids with restrictions will binge eat sugar or develop an eating disorder. In Sweden children are usually only allowed sweets once a week, on a Saturday to be more specific. A tradition that’s been going on for decades. Sugar is also more or less banned from preschools and schools in Sweden. I’ve lived in both countries and I’m gonna let you guess: Which country has got the biggest problem by miles when it comes to obesity?

Okay.

And other than judging people on a message board, if you are so concerned about it, what are YOU doing about it. Personally. How are you contributing to fixing this societal problem?

Individual people feeding their kids kale and quinoa three times s day isn't going to do diddly squat.

So, aside from being houlier than thou, how are you going to productively channel this concern for society and the future generations of our country?

Because, without that, it's throwing stones isn't it.

Almost one quarter of 10-11 year olds in England are obese.
What do you think might be contributing to that?

And also, do you think this has no effect on society as a whole?

Well all schools provide dessert every bloody day, so clearly this is an embedded issue in our culture.

there are very new guidelines which will force schools to cut down on the crap but they were only announced in september and still allow room for schools to give our children junk food.