Roanoke Rapids daily herald., 1948-12-02
A Snack
Between
Meultinnes
sv GARRY CLEVELAND MYERS. PAD.

BY GAkkI ILktELAND MEM, ta.O.
"IF you eat that now you won't
want anything for dinner" or
words to that effect, ! have heard
from the earliest time l can remem-
ber. But can't remember the time
when eating food really diminished
my appetite at regular mealtime.
It looks as if was born with a
good appetite, which l have never
lost. It's not appetite but my weight
| need to watch. And I've seen other
hungry children, especially on COM
ing home from school, whose enjoy.
ment of snack didn't harm their
dinner appetite.
But judging from direct observa-
tions Of many growing children
under five or six over some years
and from remarks l have heard and
letters l have read, from mothers,
l infer that great many children
don't eat hearty meals because
they have eaten between meals.
Only last summer, while three Of
our grandchildren we're with US.
noticed on several occasions that
when the older ones, s and 4, ate
without enthusiasm or ate but little
at the evening meal, question from
their mother revealed that they had
had something to eat at the neigh
boris home that afternoon. Now
what children get between meals is
usually highly concentrated food,
as candies, cookies, cake, or bread
and jam.
Worse Problem
No matter how hard you try to
keep your child from eating be-
tween meals you can't easily get
your neighbors to cooperate. It's
often a worse problem with grand
parents who live near.
In the first place, your neighbors
may not have given any thought to
the desirability of not having their
young children "piece" between
meals, or these neighbors may not
have the heart to say NO to the
child when he begs for food. Prop
erly. they do not want their chill
dren to enjoy food between meals
in the presence of their playmates
without providing the playmates
with the same kind of food. These
parents might like to tell their chill
dren to share at such times but the
fact usually is that their own chill
dren don't give up anything at all.
The parents just serve more food.
Several Playmates
A certain mother writes to know
what she should do in this type Of
case: When she gives her tot, three,
some bread and jam, there are sew
eral of his playmates standing
around expecting some bread and
jam, too; or her child goes out with
a piece" and comes back begging
for "piece" for each of more hun
CRY children outside. This mother
was thinking of the inconvenience
and cost and not Of the wishes of
the other mothers represented by
these children.
AS l wrote this mother, if she
were sure she wished to continue
giving her tot pieces" between
meals she might consider so setting
the stage that her child would be
indoors alone at such times. But this
would involve more regulation than
some parents would desire. The
trend among parents seems to be
to give the child what he wants
right away when he wants it, when
he is two months old, two years old
or ten.
You can easily see that year by
year, at the present rate, there will
be more and more mothers giving
pieces" to their own children or
giving them "candy" money and
that, therefore, it will grow harder
year by year to hold your own tot
to eating only at mealtime.
No use to tell your child not to
accept food away from home. That's
too hard for him to obey. Just try
to make the most of the matter.
Some good results might accrue
from discussing such problems in
mothers clubs and PTA's. my bull
letins, "Eating Problems" and
Your Child and His Playmates,"
may be had in a stamped envelope.)