Kids get hungry- often. This hunger usually becomes an adult’s responsibility to resolve. We TR Parents aim to raise independent children and to encourage self sufficiency, in appropriate ways, based on the age of our kids.
But even with this focus, we find ourselves in an incredibly frustrating, repetitive conversation on a daily basis with our children, especially 11 year old, Plum:
- Plum – “I’m hungry!”
- TR Parent – “What do you want to eat?”
- Plum – “What do we have?”
- TR Parent – “A lot of stuff. What do you feel like eating?”
- Plum – “I don’t know. Will you make me something?”
- TR Parent – “What do you want?!!?”
And on and on, ad nauseum. This dead-end discourse is now being mirrored by 4 year old, Bluey. No one ends up happy in this kind of exchange. And ½ the time, no one gets
a snack.
So what to do? Our kitchen cupboards and fridge are bursting with food on most days. As we approach our weekly shopping time, reserves are lower. But there is always cheese, bread, dried fruit, pretzels, etc. We might not have the exact item to satisfy a particular craving. But we have food, a-plenty.
We need to figure out a way to get Plum and Bluey to identify what they want as a snack. Or to learn to be okay choosing from what we have in the house, even if it isn’t their first choice. And we want to help Plum realize that she needs to up the ante on self reliance.
We will always love, nurture, and support our children. But we’d ultimately fail our parental obligations if we don’t teach our kids how to take care of their immediate needs, like hunger.