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Trying To Stop My Child from Wasting Food

Discussion in 'Snippets of Life (Non-Fiction)' started by Moumita1, Jul 25, 2011.

  1. Moumita1

    Moumita1 Silver IL'ite

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    I always cringe when my child leaves food on her plate on after her meals. Is it because I have been brought in a family run by my freedom-fighter grandfather, who taught us that its food a man works for, and so it’s our responsibility to show respect to it by finishing every morsel on the plate?

    My parents believed in the saying, ‘waste not, want not,’ and they taught me to take less on my plate, eat everything on it and then go for a second helping if we are still hungry, but wasting food on our plate was simply unacceptable. Since the time my child has learnt to eat on her own, I am having a tough time in making her understand that wasting food is just not an acceptable behaviour. I tried everything, from getting angry, to removing her plate from her the moment she starts making a face, to explaining things to her as to why people in developing countries such as India cannot afford to waste food. She looks so wise when I say all that, making me believe that she understood what I said, and then goes back to the exact same behaviour of leaving food on her plate.

    Yesterday I showed her a news story on the Somalia food crisis in my effort to make her understand how people suffer from lack of food, and how important to respect what you have, for tomorrow, God forbid, may be a day when you may need to scrounge every penny for food. Sometimes I think it’s because our children are being raised in an environment of plenty, where before they articulate, we pre-empt their wants and rush to fulfil their desires, that they have this indifference towards things they own or get. I don’t know if I am the only parent who thinks like this, but often I find myself wondering if we are spoiling our children by catering to every their need. Sometimes I find buying my child things I never had in my childhood, even before she actually asks for those. And sometimes I wonder why do I do that? Is it because I can afford things for my child that my parents never could for me, or is it because we are living in a society where even as parents we are constantly being pressurised by TV ads and other marketing gimmicks that convince us that if we do not get certain things for our children, then we are not being fair to them, that childhood means being in possession of certain things, without which childhood may remain incomplete?

    Sometimes I feel it’s my parental responsibility to teach my child to be aware of the country she lives in, where even if her parents can afford, her people cannot afford wasting resources when a large number of our countrymen lives below poverty line; that it’s never a question of what we can do for her, rather what she needs to do for her people? May be one day, she’ll understand all that and grow up to be a responsible citizen of my country. I can only hope for that.
     
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  2. sreemanavaneeth

    sreemanavaneeth Gold IL'ite

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    hai moumita,

    Wasting of food should be totally prohibited. Even in a wedding i never allow the server to serve more of everything I will tell them not to serve if i want i will take. It really give me a great pain asthough i am ignoring ANNAPOORANI. As you have mentioned children should be educated on this. They will know the real value of the food from their childhood days itself. LET US EAT LET US NOT WASTE.
     
  3. shyamala1234

    shyamala1234 Platinum IL'ite

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    Yes, food should never be wasted. We have to make that habit to children from children. Serve him a little first and if he wants more you can serve him then. Clear up your plate should be the motto. When very young they cannot understand if we explain to them poverty,hunger in Somalia like things. First it should be made as a rule in the house....never leave food in the plate. Once they get used to it and grow up a little bit then we can explain them. We should not pamper with too many things..be reasonable. In our childhood we know that our parents cannot afford all the things that we want, so we never made unreasonable demands and accepting a no was o.k with us. But now children know that parents can afford it and peer pressure also plays a role. But they should be taught to accept a no. If once 'no'...it should be a firm 'no', no conceding to it. Because when they grow up...in life, whether it is personal life or workplace everything would not go according to their whims and fancies.
    This reminds me of a funny real story of George Washington, President of USA.Once there was a big a big banquet in honour of a visiting dignitary. Washington's mother was also there. When the dinner is finished she said to her son.."George, how many times I should tell you to clean your plate?No wastage of food." Everyone smiled and he cleared his plate.
     
  4. satchitananda

    satchitananda IL Hall of Fame

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    Moumita, absolutely agree with you on this one. This is something we badly require to teach children. It hurts me to see so many adults waste food in a country where we worship Annapoorneshwari.
     
  5. spuppala

    spuppala Gold IL'ite

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    Moumitha,

    good thought of yours and keep going.We are the ones who need to educate our little ones..keep it up!
     
  6. Suhaguru

    Suhaguru Bronze IL'ite

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    Good thought Moumitha and well written.

    We definitely have to teach them.. If we consistently tell them, they will learn someday... This is easily said then executed.. But we have to.. Good Luck..

    My little one is yet to eat on her own.. So this issue is still in the Queued status :)
     
  7. forgiven10

    forgiven10 Silver IL'ite

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    another great topic an great thoughts, moumita.
     
  8. Moumita1

    Moumita1 Silver IL'ite

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    Thanks for the support Sree, in you I always find my support system.
     
  9. pgraman

    pgraman Gold IL'ite

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    food should be treated as a blood
    if one drop of blood dropped
    then our heart beat will reach its peak
    likewise, we should think for the food too
    because, the main source for blood is food.
    In their work both are equal
    no one can live without food and blood.

    nice one moumita
    thank you
     
  10. arty2010

    arty2010 Bronze IL'ite

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    What do you do with the extra food and leftovers anyway? I understand your sentiments but if the kid sees food wasted in other ways they will not be convinced of your idealogies. In my case, i refrigerate and try to use it the next day but throw it if not used in a day. I dont have servants to give them to. So maybe you can ask your kid to take very small servings so that nothing is wasted.
     

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