I would agree that far too many take the “easy” path of just buying premade foods, but I take issue with the last comment:
I dont remember this being difficult, even poor and working full time. Its all about the parents’ priorities.
“Poor” can often mean more than one full time job for a single person. The framing you’re putting on this suggests that any parent has this kind of time, and it just isn’t true. Its also especially worth mentioning that a person’s income can change wildly at any time - someone doing well enough to be the stay at home parent while the other works could suddenly become a single parent. A single parent that would need to work multiple jobs just to afford to keep living in their home.
And I say this as a parent lucky enough to work from home, and my partner being able to dedicate full time to parenting before going back to part time work.
Yes, we made all of their food at home. Even baking the bread they eat during the week. Not everyone is lucky enough to make that happen, especially now.
To be factually mean, even if the single parent had two jobs, its still true that making thier own food is less of a priority because of this.
To me, this, two job single parent, is the exception. Ive met so many more folks in my life who had less stress, and better living situations than I, stay at home moms even, who dont put a second thought in handing a bag of puffs (and im sorry) but a tablet to the kid, and sending them off to sit.
I very well intended to use cloth diapers, but, my living arrangement changed, and I ended up using disposables mostly. I get it. But im not talking about the execption. The rule, is most people (that ive seen, so its whatever, Im in the sates, but ive met so many other parents over the last decade) who have young children, and feed them “kid foods” and skip whole foods.
My son’s room didnt have that “kid smell”. My house, didnt have the “kid smell”. It was said to me a few times. “Kid smell” some folks houses get, you cannot unconvince me, is due to thier diet of high sugar from these “kid foods” literally almost all parents I know buy.
I am an asshole about this for the record. I know. Its one my hills as a child who was raised on gushers and fruit roll ups, and ended up with disordered eating and obese as a youth. Ive seen moms (I should say parents, but really I talk with other moms) give candy out like a regualr snack, children who dont drink water (is free, why?)… like. I met a ten year old who couldnt run, at all. Im not pulling this out my ass. And it really makes me sad for these children who are estsblishing poor eating habits so early in life. I was homless with a newborn until that 5th month. You cant change my mind that more (not all) people could attempt to be better, they just dont.
I would agree that far too many take the “easy” path of just buying premade foods, but I take issue with the last comment:
“Poor” can often mean more than one full time job for a single person. The framing you’re putting on this suggests that any parent has this kind of time, and it just isn’t true. Its also especially worth mentioning that a person’s income can change wildly at any time - someone doing well enough to be the stay at home parent while the other works could suddenly become a single parent. A single parent that would need to work multiple jobs just to afford to keep living in their home.
And I say this as a parent lucky enough to work from home, and my partner being able to dedicate full time to parenting before going back to part time work.
Yes, we made all of their food at home. Even baking the bread they eat during the week. Not everyone is lucky enough to make that happen, especially now.
To be factually mean, even if the single parent had two jobs, its still true that making thier own food is less of a priority because of this.
To me, this, two job single parent, is the exception. Ive met so many more folks in my life who had less stress, and better living situations than I, stay at home moms even, who dont put a second thought in handing a bag of puffs (and im sorry) but a tablet to the kid, and sending them off to sit.
I very well intended to use cloth diapers, but, my living arrangement changed, and I ended up using disposables mostly. I get it. But im not talking about the execption. The rule, is most people (that ive seen, so its whatever, Im in the sates, but ive met so many other parents over the last decade) who have young children, and feed them “kid foods” and skip whole foods.
My son’s room didnt have that “kid smell”. My house, didnt have the “kid smell”. It was said to me a few times. “Kid smell” some folks houses get, you cannot unconvince me, is due to thier diet of high sugar from these “kid foods” literally almost all parents I know buy.
I am an asshole about this for the record. I know. Its one my hills as a child who was raised on gushers and fruit roll ups, and ended up with disordered eating and obese as a youth. Ive seen moms (I should say parents, but really I talk with other moms) give candy out like a regualr snack, children who dont drink water (is free, why?)… like. I met a ten year old who couldnt run, at all. Im not pulling this out my ass. And it really makes me sad for these children who are estsblishing poor eating habits so early in life. I was homless with a newborn until that 5th month. You cant change my mind that more (not all) people could attempt to be better, they just dont.
I wouldn’t try to - I agree.
I would also say many don’t have any interest in being better, which is why they don’t even make the attempt.