My secret weapon….
I have a problem. I’m sure it’s one that many of you may share. It’s the ‘how to stop teenagers sneaking off to school without breakfast‘ problem.
One of my daughters is a master of the skills of breakfast avoidance. I just need to turn around or fetch something from the storeroom, visit the bathroom and ….she’s gone…. in a flash….leaving only a whiff of teenage (yukky) perfume behind her.
She leaves clues that she thinks will fool me. Cereal bowls just rinsed with water, or even milk, so that it looks like she ate. I make her hot chocolate every morning and I swear she throws most of it down the sink every day, pretending she’s just rinsing her mug ready for the dishwasher. (She forgets that her mother was, for a time, attached to the Military Police and could have been a spy…..nothing fools me!)
Now if there is one thing that I think is important, it’s breakfast. Scientifically proven to be the most important meal of the day. I know that I would am fit for nothing by 9am if I haven’t had something to eat and drink. The days are getting colder and my kids have a long school day – most days they are all gone by 7.30am, often as early as 6.20am (we have varying school start times if you are wondering why!) and only come home sometime between 4-5pm. They take the train; in winter it’s often dark when they leave and there will be many months this winter when it will be way below freezing with snow on the ground. So I want them to eat ….I REALLY want them to eat before they go…
I have decided that I need a new strategy. The old one clearly doesn’t work.
I think I have a new secret weapon….
Blueberry Muffin (Williams-Sonoma recipe – but I guess any recipe will do!)
I’ll keep you posted on whether it works,
Helen
September 23rd, 2010 at 9:29 am
My son was the same; he would not eat breakfast. The only thing which worked was a smoothie made with yogurt, honey, fruit and even a bit of rolled oats, blended very well, so he could drink it. But I think your blueberry muffins look so delicious that even the most rebellious teenager can’t withstand them ;). Good luck!
September 23rd, 2010 at 10:45 am
I’m the same, never could stomach (pardon the pun) the idea of breakfast until I had awake for several hours. That just added a new level of frustration for my TI when I went through A.F. basic training. There was no way I could face food at 0500. I’d go through the chow line and grab a bowl with milk and slice bananas into it. I can still hear “Zaruba! Eat something!” “I am eating, ma’am!” 😉
Even now I’m sitting here with my mug of kaffee getting ready to sew. I’ll eat when I get hungry.
September 25th, 2010 at 7:41 am
Hm, wondering how much success you’re having with the muffins?! They certainly look delicious and my daughter would be lucky if they survived my husband’s nightly forays into the kitchen!!
I, too, can’t cope without breakfast, but my youngest can’t seem to stomach any so early in the morning. For a long time I got up for her and made her some chocolate milk in an attempt to get something into her, mostly about half got put in the fridge again and eventually I did give up and decide to trust her judgement. We agreed that she can take a small carton of fruit juice and/or some fruit with her so that either before school or at breaktime (when they can buy some great healthy homemade snacks, too!) when she can manage something, she has some kind of nutrition… and she gets a cooked lunch at school, too.
In my daughter’s case, she carries plenty of weight and though I would prefer her to eat breakfast for that reason as much as any, I don’t need to worry she doesn’t get enough. If your daughter is very slim, though, like a lot of young teens, I would be slightly concerned if she’s actively trying to make you think she’s had something when she hasn’t. It’s hard to know when to put the pressure on and when not to. Of course teens around here have lots of yummy snacks and feel they can survive on a gipfeli and a sugarfree energy drink, but I do know that some of the girls at the school have eating issues and it might be as well to inform yourself sooner rather than later to prevent grief. Sorry if I sound negative or as if I’m over-reacting, but I have seen several daughters of friends go through a hard time with this. If you’re interested, I do know a (bilingual, Christian) psychiatrist lady who specialises in this area…