Well my "style" seems to be rare... or those of you like me are too shy to say it?

[velcrobott]

In the past few weeks I have posted on topics such as food, Mc Donald and TV....
Now Am I the only one who always cooks from fresh for her kids (because they enjoy the quality of the food and I like cooking), does not go to McD (they wouldn't like it as there is no way I am buying the "gift") and who thinks they have a far better time playing then watching tele.

I was quite surprised to read that several people (and I am sure thousands more) feel it's a treat to feed your kids occasional junk food... what has our society come to??? For those who have the desire, time and interest to not feed junk, allow much/any tele... is it normal that we are considered the odd ones out, the weird ones? It use to be like this (generations ago), it was the norm... now we're called all sorts of things but made to feel that we are too puritanical.

I am sure some of you are going to take this as a controversial thread, it isn't meant like that I want to know if anyone feels like this too.... I feel very lonely on Mumsnet with my more "puritanic" stance

Beetroot, agree with you re site food, but do wonder how many of the carrot sticks would be left, compared to the chocolate cakes! If you were going to a party, would you go for the wine or the organic carrot juice?!

I don't do shite party food....I do party food!!!

Sandwiches...ham/marmite/jam/cheese/tuna
Sauages rolls made by my own fair hands...(or tesco's)
Pizza slices
plain crisps and flavoured crisps
Bowls of chopped fruit
Bowls of chopped carrots and cucumber for dips
Bowls of cherry tomatoes
apple juice/orange juice and fizzy lemonade (my DD3 is VERY allergic to colours in drinks so we don't have them!)
Fairy cakes made by me and the kiddies
chocolate crispies cakes also made by me and the kiddies
AND SWEETS!!!!!!!

Am I 'bad', or normal????

depends - have you got 3 eyes?

Normal

Message withdrawn

or 'psycho'?

Normal o- GREAT Psycho mum!! Sounds like the parties we have!

SJ x

VB I can see your point about feeling 'out of style'. However I think - IMHO - that sometimes you can come across as 'slightly' sanctimonious. If someone says fishfingers, you ask why they couldn't serve plain grilled cod. Your tone sometimes comes across to me (maybe not to others) that we are doing the wrong thing and therefore could be seen as less 'good' parents. WIth the guilt of motherhood bad enough at times, being told that we are feeding our kids unhealthy food (when we are doing our best) and letting our kids watch TV is bad (when we do this ourselves and yes use it as a baby sitter), just makes me personally feel quite defensive and be prone to thinking that you and I wouldn't get on. I look at what you do as the ideal, but my life isn't like that, I do work, I am a less than patient mother, and sometimes my kids eat sweets!!

Personally I try my best, I cook meals as and when I can, I am a full time working mum and usually get home after their tea time. Therefore they are at the childminders or with dh or granny. Now dh and granny often give them 'less healthy' options, but I can't be bothered to make an issue on this. At the weekend I do try to cook meals from scratch. This weekend dd (aged6) made chicken in lemon and garlic and olive oil (all her own work), roast potatoes, roast veg (again she did this) and broccoli/cauliflower. I also made shepherds pie for the freezer and gave them haddock and mash. they wouldn't eat the haddock, even though they chose it!!

TV is very popular in our house, too much so but so what, junk food is also popular and we have sweets, crisps, McDonalds, Pizza at times. We probably have one fully c**p meal out a week, and one junk food meal at home a week. This is a balance that works.

I hope you don't take this post too personally, it is just trying to explain why perhaps you feel out of the loop. Please don't think we all disapprove of you, it is more we wish we could do all the stuff you do, but just don'thave time/skills, money personality etc etc

I have eyes in the back of my head

can I come?

yes - very normal

Butterflies have rings around their eyes so I have 4 - give you goggle vision to see beyond the yellow arch and eat organics and save my pocket from McDonald burn and sprout lentils cos its cheap and good for you

O' psycho mum.....LOVE IT...call me that more often

I don't wish I could do all the stuff she does - I think it's a bit OTT, especially avoiding a party just cos the food isn't up to scratch.

That is cruel imo. What's gonna happen if they eat the odd chip at a party - they're not going to keel over on the spot are they?

Next party I have, most definately invited

Bring on the sugar and additives, I say! Gives them happy memories of a childhood full of orange stained mouths and LOTS of energy!!

Well as fun as all this is, I got to go shopping.

And may just go to macdonalds too!!!!

Catch all you lovely ladies later!

Oh oh. My kids, (and myself) had fish-fingers last night, with pasta and pesto and frozen veg. In answer to original post, this is a once-a week thing generally, and usually on a Monday night.

I usually cook from fresh, although I do occasionally use ragu type sauces, although to be honest it doesn't take much logner to make your own does it?

I may feed my baby crappy food, but I do knit my own muesli (sp?) so everything is fine!

I agree with crunchie that starting this thread in the first place makes velcrobott seem a little sanctimonious. I don't think anyone who reads mumsnet forums generally can think that we all prefer feeding our kids mcdonalds whilst they lie on sofas in front of the tv. We all do our best.

I am extremely careful with what my children eat at home - always home made - but often frozen then defrosted when requried.

I always buy more or less everything organic (as some additives and transfattty acids are banned from organic foods) and I never allow them anythign with aspartame in it - I think that really is food of the devil

I do cook realy party food and surprisingly at my DS's party on Sunday most of the carrot/cucumber stix did get eaten. SO did all the fruit skewers! Maybe they were just an odd bunch or maybe not putting out the chocolate cakes until after they'd eaten the other stuff worked

However, we eat out often, and although I hate McDonalds food with a passion they do get taken there by my DH who has had tastebud removal surgery sometime in the past By being scrupulous at home it means I can feel very relaxed about what they eat outside the home at restaurants, parties etc. This is what allows me to maintain a balance for my children - others will manage this in a different way!

I love cooking - its my thing - relaxes me and gives me something enjoyable to do with teh children who love helping out. To me it is not a chore and therein lies the answer to some of the differences of views on this thread I think!

If it were to make you unhappy and seemed a chore or drudge to do cook then I see nothing wrong in doing what suits. Why would making someone unhappy lead to better parenting choices????

What I avoid like the plague is any smugness around any parts of my life and this area is no exception. IME any time in my entire life that I have felt even a tiddly bit smug with myself some great big hand has come walloping out and knocked me back down to earth!

Cooking for my children and ensuring that they eat very healthily for 90% of the time is not something that makes me a better parent - it makes me a happy parent but not a better one

So please lets all give each other a break - god its hard enough as it is without all this bloody navel gazing and virtual trolley watching

(Iota - the recommended daily salt intake of 6g is for an adult - the recommended daily intake for a child is only 2g I think - so what is moderate for an adult may well be high for a child).

Soapbox - just for you

How much salt should children have?
The daily recommended maximum for children depends on their age:

• 1 to 3 years - 2 g salt a day (0.8g sodium)
• 4 to 6 years - 3g salt a day (1.2g sodium)
• 7 to 10 years - 5g salt a day (2g sodium)
• 11 and over - 6g salt a day (2.5g sodium)

These are the recommended maximums for children. It is better for them to have less.

pmsl @ child keeling over as a chip passes their lips...

Thanks IOTA

Wobblyknicks's specialist subject is salt in foods and her DD is younger than 3 which is probably why she said 2g. Mine would both fall into the next catagory so 3g.

forgot to add the ref for my quote re salt: it's from the FSA again
salt