feywon
Well-known Member
- Location
- Rural North Central NM
Those members 50-55 likely had Boomer gen parents unless they were the youngest of several children or late life babies. Most of us probably had parents who belong to 'the Greatest Generation' who lived thru depression when old enough to feel the effects, tho not all families experienced the worst of it. Dad's family did struggle, my Mom's didn't. She told me once that the main way it impacted her was they were not allowed to take any snacks or treats outside to eat, because it would be fair to neighbor kids. i can't help thinking it influenced their attitudes towards food and mealtime rules for their children. i know it did my Dad's. Mom would talk about starving kids in China (early 50's one of their big famine's) but Dad simply said--when you're hungry enough you're not going to be picky.
We were rural poor, but most of my childhood was such fun that something has to remind me about the gloomy stuff. We kids sometimes went fishing or crabbing knowing it was oatmeal for supper, or plate of veggies truck farm neighbors gave us because our parents always were generous with game they bagged hunting. In this case it was Bretrick's thread about food one disliked, made to eat, and still dislike, that got me thinking about it.
Me i generally ate anything parents put in front of me, They 'served' us our plates and we were expected to 'clean them' we couldn't have seconds (when available) of favored food unless we finished everything on our plates. Complaining seemed like a waste of time to me, i just wanted to finish and leave the table. But by around 5 yrs old sometimes if feeling overfull i'd say i was even if something was still on plate. Dad would insist i clean the plate. Mom tried to reason with Dad that i probably really was full, that i was NOT a picky eater at all even tho i liked some foods better than other. After the third time i threw up shortly after complaining of being stuffed, it was determined i could be exempted from the rule as long as i didn't come back in hour complaining i was hungry.
That was one of the few things my sisters and i did not get treated identically about, all the others were privileges they got because older. Still i continued to eat what i least liked first, working my way thru the things to what i did like so it would be the last flavor in my mouth. Thankfully unlike a friend i made in adulthood, my parents didn't insist we take one mouthful of each food at a time rotating thru the selections on her plate. But remembering about that got me thinking about the difference's in families with regard to mealtime rules.
Not to mention how it might have impacted people's eating habits into adulthood, and if they even made rules for their kids. i did but i think they were more sensible and geared toward helping to them to learn when they were really hungry or not, to stop when full and listen to their bodies'--pediatrician was shocked when one of my 7 yr old boys was quite clear on what he thought he could keep down when he had a stomach bug. encouraged kids to 'try' things periodically because our tastes do change with age. My daughter, at 38 when i would not dream of dictating her food intake, still habitually eats something healthy if hungry when she gets home from her 2-9pm shift before getting any snack, and often doesn't have a snack because she's satisfied the hunger. That was one my rules and pretty much became habit for my kids.
So how do you think your parents lives impacted the eating rules they made for y'all? And how did that effect what, if any rules you had for kids. This generational effect--whether continuing parents' rules or deliberately making changes no doubt happens with other parental edicts too--about cleaning rooms, discipline etc. But for this thread lets stick to things food/meal related.
We were rural poor, but most of my childhood was such fun that something has to remind me about the gloomy stuff. We kids sometimes went fishing or crabbing knowing it was oatmeal for supper, or plate of veggies truck farm neighbors gave us because our parents always were generous with game they bagged hunting. In this case it was Bretrick's thread about food one disliked, made to eat, and still dislike, that got me thinking about it.
Me i generally ate anything parents put in front of me, They 'served' us our plates and we were expected to 'clean them' we couldn't have seconds (when available) of favored food unless we finished everything on our plates. Complaining seemed like a waste of time to me, i just wanted to finish and leave the table. But by around 5 yrs old sometimes if feeling overfull i'd say i was even if something was still on plate. Dad would insist i clean the plate. Mom tried to reason with Dad that i probably really was full, that i was NOT a picky eater at all even tho i liked some foods better than other. After the third time i threw up shortly after complaining of being stuffed, it was determined i could be exempted from the rule as long as i didn't come back in hour complaining i was hungry.
That was one of the few things my sisters and i did not get treated identically about, all the others were privileges they got because older. Still i continued to eat what i least liked first, working my way thru the things to what i did like so it would be the last flavor in my mouth. Thankfully unlike a friend i made in adulthood, my parents didn't insist we take one mouthful of each food at a time rotating thru the selections on her plate. But remembering about that got me thinking about the difference's in families with regard to mealtime rules.
Not to mention how it might have impacted people's eating habits into adulthood, and if they even made rules for their kids. i did but i think they were more sensible and geared toward helping to them to learn when they were really hungry or not, to stop when full and listen to their bodies'--pediatrician was shocked when one of my 7 yr old boys was quite clear on what he thought he could keep down when he had a stomach bug. encouraged kids to 'try' things periodically because our tastes do change with age. My daughter, at 38 when i would not dream of dictating her food intake, still habitually eats something healthy if hungry when she gets home from her 2-9pm shift before getting any snack, and often doesn't have a snack because she's satisfied the hunger. That was one my rules and pretty much became habit for my kids.
So how do you think your parents lives impacted the eating rules they made for y'all? And how did that effect what, if any rules you had for kids. This generational effect--whether continuing parents' rules or deliberately making changes no doubt happens with other parental edicts too--about cleaning rooms, discipline etc. But for this thread lets stick to things food/meal related.
