to think we need to stop using what we feed our children as the main measure for our parenting skills

[jumpyjan]

I am so fed up with the constant discussion in the media over what we feed our children and have heard some extremelly annoying self rightous people on phone ins regarding the latest packed lunch story today.

Whilst I strongly believe in a healthy diet and believe children behave better when they eat well etc I resent the government constantly telling us how to parent and the way that people seem to measure how good a parent you are on the sole basis of what you feed your child. A childs nutrition is of course extremelly important but it is one element of parenting.

It seems like parents who feed their children certain foods are looked down upon while some parents who feed their children healthy foods expect a pat on the back. It just seems like snobbery to me.

Why can't we make our own decisions about what to feed our children without feeling the need to feel smug/ashamed about it.

[misscph1973]

Othersideofthechannel, I'm afraid I don't know the details of the sugary food ban i Danish school, it's up to the individual school and some started it 10 + years ago, some last year. I think I made it sound like it was a national ban though, which is isn't.

I don't know much detail about obesity in Denmark either, but it obviously has increased in the last 50 years like in most Western countries.

I don't think there has ever been vending machines with sweets and sugary drinks on schools or in leasure centres in Denmark.

When I moved over here 18 months ago, I was quite shocked to see the amount of crisps and sugary food being eaten as a normal every day thing. Don't get me wrong, I love England, the language, the literature, the cultural heritage etc (I'm a bit of a tourist, yes). I am just quite worried about the general attitude to nutrition, all that junk food (and lack of exercise, as many have pointed out in this thread) can't be good - life style diseases are becoming a bigger and bigger problem. - Note that I am talking GENERAL here, I am NOT attacking any individual MN'ers.

I've read a lot of research about food and the effect of highly processed food, junk food and sugary food on the human body and I must admit I am much happier to follow advice based on research than my children or my own taste buds.

Ineedmoresleep, I do apologise for assuming that you haven't done your research, but a statement like "because it's yummy" doesn't exactly make you sound like your approach to nutrition is based on knowledge.

Again, it's probably a cultural difference. I am just never going to put a chocolate bar or similar in my dc's lunch boxes.

[piscesmoon]

Moderation in all things is the key. We had a family member who lived to well over 100. He ate everything, but he had moderate portions and he didn't continually 'graze'.
I think that we are going too far the other way when it is 'bad' for a DC to have a homemade apple crumble and custard! Food is supposed to be enjoyable, interesting and sociable. If you make it yourself you can drastically cut down on the fat, sugar and salt content of both the crumble and the custard

[Ineedsomesleep]

misscph1973 I appreciate that it didn't make me sound informed. The point I was trying to make is that we can be informed but make choices.

When making my parenting choices I try to think that we are raising adults not children. I want my children to understand that they can have sugary foods, just not in excess or every day. I don't want them to be adults and see sugary foods as naughty or be eating 3 puddings because they felt deprived as a child.

I'm with you on not putting chocolate or crisps in lunchboxes though.

Going back to the title of the thread. I do think it is time to stop judging ourselves on what we feed our children.

My children eat a fairly balanced and healthy diet. Yes I've shared a bag of chips on the seafront at Blackpool, and yes they get chocolate and biscuits but does that really make me a bad mother?

My children are of course beautiful, aren't everyones? Along with that they are happy, healthy and well adjusted, and that is what I want to aim for.

[MamaMary]

I read a recent newspaper article written by a schools inspector. From her report, it seems that inspectors are far more worried about what is in children's lunch boxes than what is in their heads - i.e. what they are actually being taught. The pendulum has swung far too far this way. She was shocked at poor levels of literacy and numeracy, but this was not receiving nearly as much attention as the contents of lunch boxes!