Everyday Systems

My teenaged son is home from school on vacation this week. In most ways, he's got many of the interests of a 21st Century kid. He likes his Wiii and his computer, all that stuff.

What he doesn't have are the snack habits of many of his peers. Yes, he'll sometimes have a snack after school, but left to his own devices, he mostly just eats three meals a day.

I wish I could say that the wonderful example I set is what does it. It's not.

I think the real reason he doesn't snack much is more out of laziness. I don't HAVE easy-to-grab snack food (other than fruit) in the house. If he wants potato chips, he'd have to scrub the potatoes, cut them up and fry them. There's yogurt in the house, but it's plain. If he wants a smoothie, he has to get out the blender and put it together. The very simplest quick meal he could make is a sandwich or a bowl of (non-sugared) cereal. He's old enough to cook and goodness knows he's free to make or bake anything he likes. There's a recipe book with how to make goodies in it right on the kitchen counter. I won't stop him from making that stuff. But the reality is that he doesn't.

The fact is, he doesn't and I think it's at least in part because the tasty snacky stuff is way too much trouble. If he's going to go to that much trouble, he'll wait until it's meal time and make himself a whole meal.

I found it very helpful, even before I discovered No S, to seriously limit the snack and sweet foods that I have at home. I hate driving, so I'm almost never hungry enough between meals to get in the car and go out for a snack.

Nicest, I did the same.

I also differentiate strongly between "snacks" and "treats." Snacks are usually fruit, occasionally yogurt, and are eaten when genuinely hungry. Treats are usually a small dessert after dinner.

And I think that PROVIDING regular meals takes care of a lot of the desire for snacks anyway. Not entirely... my son is in the "growth spurt" stage. But he doesn't snack much.

Noel... I thought you were going to talk about leftover childhood issues of OURS. For example, my parents were "clean your plate" types, and there are a few places where I'm STILL rebellious, lol! (I still will not eat okra under ANY circumstances because of too many years facing it congealing on my plate, and I associate even the smell of French toast with nausea because the "minimal acceptable amount" was more than I could handle.)