Teens Eating Out Alone
Parents of teens, this is for you. Are you ever curious as to how well (or not) your teen is eating when they are out and about? I have one example for you and although I am sure it is not representative of every teen out there in the world right now, I am pretty sure it paints a pretty reasonable picture.
Tuesday I went to Denny’s for dinner, because it is the only place I have been able to find to far that allows two kids meals for free with the purchase of only one adult meal. I had both my daughter and my nephew with me.
In the booth across from us were three kids: two boys and a girl. They looked to be 16, possible 17, but no older. They were vaguely “Goth”, but only barely. The girl was a tad heavy, as was one of the boys. The second boy was rail thin.
Here were their orders:
1. The girl ordered cheesy fries as an appetizer, then cheeseburger and fries for her supper.
2. The thin boy ordered chicken friend steak with hashed brown potatoes and mashed potatoes. He requested that the whole order be covered with gravy.
3. The heavy-ish boy ordered the fried appetizer sampler – spicy chicken strips, mozzarella cheese sticks, crispy onion rings and dipping sauces.
This was quite solidly during the dinner time hour. Oh yes, they all had regular cokes to complement their meals.
And we wonder why more and more of us are teetering toward obesity?
It starts in the home. Denny’s menu is decidedly not healthy. It’s loaded with sodium no matter what you order with the exception of salads.
BUT, getting back to the teens…would it have been somehow better if they’d ordered diet cokes?
In my house, soda was a treat that they didn’t get very often because I wanted them to get used to drinking water or milk with every meal. Both of my kids, who are adults now, drink a lot of water.
They didn’t grow up with fast food. People feed their kids McDonald’s because it’s fast and easy.
I couldn’t afford it and frankly, didn’t want my kids to develop a taste for it.
My kids started out loving veggies and chicken. A favorite treat was a plate of crudites with ranch dip. They’ve been exposed to capers, hearts of palm,exotic veggies and they’re no worse for it.
My niece still maintains that kind of diet, but my nephew is a fried food maniac and he puts hot sauce on everything.
How could this happen? They grow up and they make their decisions.
We can give them a solid foundation, but they’re still going to do what they like.