A woman has sparked strong reaction on Reddit after sharing a family drama about her refusal to buy junk food for her children and the problems this take-no-prisoners stance has caused among the five siblings in the household.
The woman, 38, wrote that her five children are ages 17, 16, 12, 9 and 7.
“Three of them are overweight/obese,” she wrote, “and I’m trying to do what’s best for them when it comes to food.”
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She said she’s “noticed how unhealthy it is for my kids to be eating so much junk food, so I’ve made the decision not to keep any junk food in the house at all.”
But for the two children that are not overweight or obese, this decision has caused some big problems, she said.
The Reddit writer said that her 16-year-old and her 12-year-old “are both relatively healthy and have no weight issues.”
She noted that “they’re also really close to their siblings, and they’re the ones who are most affected by the no-junk-food rule.”
“My priority is helping my overweight kids make better choices and lose weight.”
These two, she said, have “expressed frustration,” claiming “it’s not fair” that they cannot now enjoy their “favorite snacks just because their siblings struggle with their weight.”
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She wrote, “I get that it feels unfair to them, but my priority is helping my overweight kids make better choices and lose weight.”
For context, she said she tries to make “healthy, delicious meals for everyone.”
Yet this has posed a challenge, she said, when the “overweight” kids want to “grab chips or candy when they’re stressed or bored” — and yet the other two “can’t because there is no junk food in the household.”
This situation, she shared, has led to “multiple arguments” between them.
The writer continued, “I just want to make sure that the kids who need to make changes [to] their eating habits aren’t tempted by unhealthy snacks — but now I’m wondering if I’m being too harsh and affecting my non-overweight kids negatively in the process.”
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She asked others for thoughts about her dilemma.
Fox News Digital reached out to a psychologist and a nutritionist for insights.
Many commenters on the platform criticized the woman’s approach, with some even calling her actions “misguided.”
Wrote one person about the issue, “Explaining this to them as ‘we can’t have junk food in the house because A, C, and E are overweight’ is a bad approach from the start.”
The same person added, “It would be much better to present this as helping all your kids to learn to eat more healthfully” — as that is something the whole family can benefit from, the person noted.
“You’re teaching your kids that junk food is a reward for being slim.”
Instead, right now, the person said, “you’re teaching your kids that junk food is a reward for being slim.”
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The same commenter pronounced the mother “not malicious, just kind of misguided.”
Lauren Manaker, a mother and registered dietitian in Charleston, South Carolina, told Fox News Digital that there are many factors that can influence a parent’s decision when it comes to feeding children, “and these choices often stem from a desire to do what they believe is best for their kids.”
Although every family is unique, Manaker said that in her experience, “when certain foods are entirely restricted or labeled as ‘bad,’ it can sometimes lead to an unintended outcome.”
She added, “Children may develop an intense focus on these foods, which could result in overindulgence when they encounter them outside the home. Striking a balance and fostering an understanding of moderation can help children build a healthier and more sustainable relationship with food over time.”
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One of the best things parents can do for their children is to “model healthy habits,” Manaker said.
“Even if you don’t think they are watching what you are doing, they are – and data supports this notion,” she said.
She’s found that “an all-or-nothing approach typically doesn’t work in the long run,” said Manaker.
“Creating an overly restrictive environment can sometimes lead to increased cravings or unhealthy relationships with food.”
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