Why do parents do this--asking young children

[CSD610]

Originally Posted by April Goodwin

whether they want to leave or what food they want?

Full disclosure: I am not a parent. Let's get this out of the way. So of course I must be clueless, right? Because all parents become child-rearing sages once their spawn arrives.

Children are NOT spawn, fish ARE spawn.

This occurs often with me: I am sitting in a cafe and a mother is asking her two-year-old what muffin or other food s/he wants. I actually saw a child burst into tears over it. It's too overwhelming to foist that sort of independence on a toddler or preschool kid. They crave parental boundaries/control. But so many parents are afraid of saying no or afraid of imposing their will on the child that they resort to this tactic, which I find destructive. At some point, the child will want stuff that the parent won't allow and then the shizzle will hit the fan.

If you have no children how would you know what children crave?
You could be referring to spawn though since you appear to know about them.

A similar thing I see is asking the todder/preschooler if they want to leave the cafe. Great--give your child the idea that s/he calls the shot. Sounds like a recipe for success...

Please do not have children for a very long time.
Since you are not a parent you really have no idea what it is like to be a parent.
Children do not come with an owner's manual and directions, you do the best you can with the information you have been given from your own parents.
After that you learn with child number one then everything changes when child number two comes along because they are completely different children.

So.........what is the point of you posting this thread outside of the fact you want to bash how parents raise their children. I'm sure YOUR way which apparantly is the correct way to do things when it comes to parenting, even though you have no children?

[lkb0714]

Originally Posted by stan4

I have nothing against you, I am not attempting to judge you, but you are sadly misinformed about what is healthy (unfortunately, many people in this country are because our government allows deceptive marketing practices). Please google the nutritional info on celery. It barely fulfills any fiber requirements let alone any vitamin/mineral requirements. Peanut butter, even organic, is loaded with sugar. And just because something is "organic" does not make it healthy. Grapes are just...again...sugar.

I am not judging you because this was one sample of what I assume is a whole diet of many varied things including other veggies and protein sources (like you said). I am sure many of your kid's meals are complete and truly healthy.

I just think if you were trying to make a point, you picked the wrong example.

Peanut butter is NOT sugar. Please educate yourself before you run off giving nutritional advice. As a matter of fact most organic peanut butter has very little sugar. One gram here, a widely available, popular organic brand.

Light Roasted Creamy | Santa Cruz Organic®

Now grapes. There are far more nutrients than those required to be listed by the FDA. Grapes are a good example. While they have a decent amount of potassium, they are actually rich in micronutrients (many of which american children are low in) like magnesium and copper. Additionally, greens have catechins, while reds/purples have anthocyanins. Both of which are useful antioxidants, another chemical lacking in the diet of many americans.

Now lets talk sugar. Sugar is not all the same. The sugar in grapes is primarily glucose (at least until they are overripe) and is the fuel actually required by the brain. There is no reason to limit a child's access to natural sugars found in fruit.

Celery has anti-inflammatory properties, and LOTS of variety of nutrients even if it is not nutrient dense. Making it part of long term healthy eating plan is a GOOD idea. Pairing peanut butter, celery and grapes, is a good snack for a child.

[Jaded]

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