I consider myself in pretty good company when I admit that I worry about the health of my three teenagers. As someone who put a great deal of time and energy into trying to help them develop positive eating habits, good self esteem and body image, and just general appreciation for healthy choices–surviving the teen years of seemingly poor choices and bad habits is a bit rocky.
I’m trying to trust in this whole “growing up” process and believe that the healthy habits instilled in their earlier years will surface again once the adolescent binging of soda, pizza and other junk food is over. I hear them talk about their choices, so I know there is an awareness of the difference between eating well and NOT eating well. I seem to be the only one single-handedly struggling to keep up on all the fresh fruit I insist upon buying and they are now all old enough that they purchase for themselves the requested “food” items I’ve omitted from the grocery list (soda, junk food, chips, etc.) Not to mention, once they leave the house–all bets are off as to what actually goes into their bodies!
I’ve been told it’s a passing phase, they’ll come back around to healthy eating, good sleep habits, and other reasonable healthy-conscious choices eventually. Still, I can’t help but worry that some of these temporary choices will become habits that will have more lasting effects and be tough habits to break. Meanwhile, I continue to offer up the healthy choices. I do find they are more likely to choose reasonably healthy meals when we go out to eat (but who can afford to take three teenagers out to eat on a regular basis?!). I hope my mentors and others are right and this is just one of the symptoms of the teenage years…hey, maybe that’s one of the reasons teenagers are so snarky–all those unhealthy eating habits?! Well, it’s a reasonable theory, don’t you think?
See Also: When in Doubt, Bake Cookies and When Was the Last Time You Ate a Vegetable?