Featured Image Credit: TikTok/@rachonlife
Topics: Parenting, TikTok, Food and Drink
Claire Reid
A mum of young children has shared why she ‘never, ever says no’ to her kids when they ask her for food.
Stay-at-home mum Rachel - who uses TikTok under the handle @rachonlife - shared a list of ‘unpopular things’ she does as a ‘gentle parent’.
Introducing her list, Rachel, from the US, said: “So for reference, I’m only two-and-a-half years into parenting but these are a lot of conversations that my husband and I have had and we’re pretty certain that these are things that are going to stick - and I’m saying that confidently, with my whole chest.
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"You can say, ‘just wait’ all you want, but no. First one’s pretty simple. I’m never going to tell my kids, ‘no’ when they say they’re hungry.
"There will never be an instance where I say, ‘you can wait’ or ‘not right now’ or ‘the kitchen is closed’.
"They can always have something to eat because I am not going to teach my children to ignore the natural cues of their body.
“As soon as I start restricting food, my kids are going to start being deceitful about eating when they’re hungry. I know this, because I did it.”
In a follow up, Rachel clarified that while she doesn’t limit when her kids eat, she will limit what they eat and regularly offers carrots and celery as a snack to see if they’re actually just eating out of boredom.
In the comments plenty of parents were quick to agree with Rachel, with some saying they used the same rule with their own little ones.
One person commented: “My MIL [mother in law] does not understand why I ALWAYS have snacks for the kids she says, ‘my kids were only to eat when told and they ate it.’”
While someone else pointed out: “When adults go out to eat, they order an appetiser so like why can’t a kid have a snack before dinner? Even if it’s like right, right before!”
A third added: “My son is only five-months but I want to teach him to listen to his body when it comes to food! No disordered eating here.”
However, others thought the idea wouldn't work with their kids, with one fellow parent posting: “With my two-year-old I do have to limit her snacks and food because she is a foodie and loves food to the point she will make herself sick.”
A second added: “I used to agree with the first one but now my five-year-old has started eating just because she's bored so I had to alter it.”