Yes, I like to "abuse" my children!
Yes, I am not like the other mothers at my daughters' school. For those of you with children, you know the cliques of the PTA are much worse than those in high school.
I went on a field trip with my youngest daughter on Friday. We went to go eat lunch at a nearby park after the trip. I packed a huge lunch, since my daughter usually has a couple of friends that eat along with us. I made a huge "garbage pail" salad, with all kinds of veggies, spirulina, sprouts, and hemp oil and lemon for dressing. I also brought along flax crackers, seaweed salad, raw veggie sushi, and lots of fruit. What we didn't eat I'd take back to work for my husband and I to eat later.
We started to eat, and noticed more and more of her classmates started coming over to see our spread on our blanket. They all wanted to try some of it. I told them to go wash their hands, and come back, since I didn't have extra plates and forks. They all came back, and I had 30 kids sitting around, eating all of the food. They loved it, especially the seaweed salad! :)
Well, the mothers wanted to see what was causing all the fuss on our side of the park. They walked over (some literally waddled over), and saw the kids were eating some of "the freaky mom's" food. One actually asked, "What the *hell* is that??", and I told her what it was. The comments started flying..."How dare you feed my child that!", "You fed my child SEAWEED? What is wrong with you?" "My child HATES vegetables!", "You feed your child that? That's outright CHILD ABUSE!", "Someone should report you.", and so on. All of these women were overweight, with the one skinny one puffing away on a cigarette. Their children were a direct reflection of them. Luckily my daughter's teacher is vegan, and he told these mothers that I was feeding my child the healthiest food around. The mothers proceeded to roll their eyes. One of them told my daughter she was always welcome at their house for some REAL food, and she'd take her to McDonald's for a "treat". My daughter replied, "Thank you, but I don't think so. I really don't want to look like you." Yes, it was rude, but I was so speechless by the whole ordeal, I couldn't get the words out. They all dragged their kids away, and I actually heard one of the kids say, "Can you make that salad sometime?" :)
The whole ordeal didn't make me question my parenting, or make me feel bad, but it did make me feel really sad for these kids. My mother raised us the best way she knew how, but served traditional "southern" meals. I feel like my daughters are lucky that my husband and I care about our health, and our daughters' health. If what I'm doing is child abuse, what on earth is it that these other parents are doing???
I went on a field trip with my youngest daughter on Friday. We went to go eat lunch at a nearby park after the trip. I packed a huge lunch, since my daughter usually has a couple of friends that eat along with us. I made a huge "garbage pail" salad, with all kinds of veggies, spirulina, sprouts, and hemp oil and lemon for dressing. I also brought along flax crackers, seaweed salad, raw veggie sushi, and lots of fruit. What we didn't eat I'd take back to work for my husband and I to eat later.
We started to eat, and noticed more and more of her classmates started coming over to see our spread on our blanket. They all wanted to try some of it. I told them to go wash their hands, and come back, since I didn't have extra plates and forks. They all came back, and I had 30 kids sitting around, eating all of the food. They loved it, especially the seaweed salad! :)
Well, the mothers wanted to see what was causing all the fuss on our side of the park. They walked over (some literally waddled over), and saw the kids were eating some of "the freaky mom's" food. One actually asked, "What the *hell* is that??", and I told her what it was. The comments started flying..."How dare you feed my child that!", "You fed my child SEAWEED? What is wrong with you?" "My child HATES vegetables!", "You feed your child that? That's outright CHILD ABUSE!", "Someone should report you.", and so on. All of these women were overweight, with the one skinny one puffing away on a cigarette. Their children were a direct reflection of them. Luckily my daughter's teacher is vegan, and he told these mothers that I was feeding my child the healthiest food around. The mothers proceeded to roll their eyes. One of them told my daughter she was always welcome at their house for some REAL food, and she'd take her to McDonald's for a "treat". My daughter replied, "Thank you, but I don't think so. I really don't want to look like you." Yes, it was rude, but I was so speechless by the whole ordeal, I couldn't get the words out. They all dragged their kids away, and I actually heard one of the kids say, "Can you make that salad sometime?" :)
The whole ordeal didn't make me question my parenting, or make me feel bad, but it did make me feel really sad for these kids. My mother raised us the best way she knew how, but served traditional "southern" meals. I feel like my daughters are lucky that my husband and I care about our health, and our daughters' health. If what I'm doing is child abuse, what on earth is it that these other parents are doing???
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Amy on -
I was served the strangest meal sets growing up: Southern food . . . and Greek food. I was raised gnawing on chicken bones and ribs, but I MUST give my parents credit: we ate veggies at every meal. Every. . .single. . .meal had a salad, a meat, cooked veggies and a starch. They thought they were doing the right thing at the time. (Fast Food didn't play into our lives until AFTER my parents' divorce. LOL.)
But that's because our parents only knew what they knew then. People these days have no excuse to call McDonald's "REAL FOOD." Don't get me wrong - I have no doubt that I could belly up to the bar and eat my weight in salty McFries at any moment (McD's. . .the weapon of choice for binge eaters World Wide.), but for someone to actually accuse you of abusing your child and then even SUGGESTING that your child isn't eating "real" food? Holy shit. I don't know how you didn't go nuclear on their asses. I admire you.
"My child HATES vegetables" cracks me up. Don't ALL kids "hate" vegetables. We hated them too, as kids, but we ate them? Why? Because our parents MADE us, that's why. I would've loved to have skipped my stupid vegetables and sucked down some more ribs. So, what she's saying is that she lets her KID run the kitchen? Ha ha ha. That's why people get so screwed up these days. Giving your kids what "they want" instead of what "they need."
Regardless, just take comfort in the fact that your very brave daughter did not allow the ridicule from another person to affect the way she's eating. What a cool kid! At her age, I might've looked down at the ground and poked it with my shoe or something. . .feeling really bad about being a "weirdo." I admire the fact that she said "thanks but no thanks." Be proud of her for THAT and don't worry about the abuse these other "ladies" are inflicting upon their kids. Heck, maybe your meal-sharing opened their eyes a little to a world very, very different from their own. Even if one of those kids demands more veggies at home, you've helped. :)
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Permalink Reply by Makaranda...=) on -
Wow! That is an incredible story.. That is the kind of conflict resolution situation I would like to learn more about responding to. If the kids were actually interested in it why not? Why such a negative outburst? Xenophobia? That is too bad but I am glad to hear the kids were so interested.
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Permalink Reply by Zoe on -
Crikey, they really felt threatened by you, - You seaweed salad toting radical!
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Permalink Reply by Sara on -
Wow, how incredibly rude they were!! What a nasty reaction to your generosity.
Oh well, at least you know better, and thats what matters. Theyre just freaked out because they dont know what real food is.
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Permalink Reply by Travis on -
Kids love real food i think. I hated meat as a kid. Pretty sure the parents just destroy what was originally instinct when they are turned onto junk food.
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Permalink Reply by Charlotte on -
Ah thats a great story :) Sooo out of order what those other mothers said though!! haha child abuse? god they're so naive and narrow minded! Ahh I feel sorry for those poor kids..
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Permalink Reply by Eden on -
Wow. I think those women felt really triggered by you and your health and they decided to lash out at you instead of asking themselves why they suddenly felt threatened and/or intimidated and/or whatever negative feelings they were feeling. Good for you and your daughter for being so confident in yourselves and not letting the moms's insecurities affect you! :)
I know with me, the more truthful an idea, the more triggering it can be. I may, at the time I'm being introduced to the idea, refute it and lash out and seem like I'm not being open to it at all. But actually, it is sinking in on some level.
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Permalink Reply by Makaranda...=) on
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They were probably most pissed that you're hotter than they are!! ..hehe
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Permalink Reply by Alicia (BarefootHoodoo) on -
You crack me up!! :)
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Permalink Reply by Mike Snyder on -
I met a raw vegan who runs a day care. She simply tells the officials that she feeds the kids foods like milk and cheese, but doesn't specify that it is Almond Milk and sunflower seed cheese! She is afraid that she could get in trouble for feeding the kids raw vegan.
Mike, TheRawDiet.com
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Permalink Reply by Zoe on
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Over the summer I have seen time and time again, little kids in the market and supermarkets picking up fruit and their mum's telling them to put it back, when their trolly is full of crisps, chocolate, biscuits, pop etc...I actually cried one time coz this gorgeous little girl asked her mum if she could have strawberries and the mum shouted at her not to be so stupid and 'behave", it was horrible.
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Permalink Reply by Alicia (BarefootHoodoo) on
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I've seen that happen too many times to count. It's really sad the parents won't respond when the child just wants something good for them!
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