How to do your child a favor for life
If you have one, two or perhaps more children, you are probably also fully aware of how your role as a parent changes character with the child’s age: Young children typically make certain demands on your parenting role, older children make others and young teenagers make completely third. This natural juggling between different roles applies not least to you, who as a parent want to inspire your child to make healthy choices in everyday life and give him or her the very best conditions for a sugar- and health-smart life. In short, your task is to make the child health-robust – and independent of you.
I believe that the vast majority of parents (as well as grandparents and professionals in the field of children and health) have a desire to help all children on their way to a long, good and healthy life, where they have every opportunity to choose health and not least the skills to move carefree, safe and unmanipulated on the path of life between temptations, enjoyment of life, energy level and health.
But as parents, we can also have doubts, because how do you really help your child in the best manner? Should one be instructive and make choices on behalf of one’s child, be coaching, supportive or perhaps rather delegating?
Overall, I distinguish between three phases of the journey that the child must go through to eventually end up as both sugar- and health-smart – namely ‘the small children’, the ‘reflective children’ and ‘the self-driving young people’. Each phase often requires something special from you as a parent. This is also what I call ‘situational health facilitation’. Let me briefly take you through the three phases.
Phase 1: The small children
It almost goes without saying that young children need to be guided and instructed. They should preferably not be presented with options other than the ones you present. Their rational brain is not yet ready to make informed decisions. The same goes for their ability to choose between oatmeal, vegan lentil soup, red wine marinated beef roast and cauliflower salad with avocado. With very young children your role as a ‘health facilitator’ is therefore mainly about being instructive and creating security – among other things. with loving motivation, clarity and an extremely limited number of choices. The meals for the little ones must be cozy moments, where the child slowly gets used to the fact that meals create peace and the opportunity to explore the universe of taste experiences.
Phase 2: The reflective children
When the child gets a little older – and at the same time is ready for it – you can start talking to him or her about the food and the food’s interaction with the body. With the use of small creative games and stories, you can now, for example, give the child an understanding of the difference between basic diet, energy supplement and enjoyment. Use it as a springboard for good, fun and inspiring child-level conversations about diet and health, about the important role of the gut flora and about how habits, instincts and advertisements can tease us and manipulate our choices. To tell the story of how you have to feed your intestinal bacteria so that they can take care of you is fantastic. The same goes for looking for food in the supermarket that both you and your gut bacteria love. That there must also be room for both turbo petrol and pure enjoyment is not wrong, but it is a question of when and how often it is in place. Your role here changes character, and you can with advantage be more coaching, supportive and motivating – and now only occasionally instructive.
Phase 3: The self-driving young people
The next stage on the road is your now self-driving child, who has got the basic skills in place. This means that you must see yourself as someone who now transfers the responsibility for food choices to your child – who can and wants to. In this regard, it may be a good idea to keep your focus on three things, namely:
(1) that the easiest food choice is always the healthiest.
(2) that you should be curious and inclusive about the young person’s choices.
(3) that you must be clear about your opinions and intentions in relation to food.
If you follow the three tips, it will be easier to avoid power struggles where the urinary instincts prevail. With mutual respect and trust, we always go the furthest with our children.
I hope the above has given you an initial insight into the role of your child’s situational health facilitator. And I know you can!
You help your child well on their way out into the food landscape with an engaging, appreciative and curious style – and not least by leading by example with your own good actions, reflections and dilemmas.
Curious to better understand the interplay between sugar and the body?
Then read my book, ‘The Truth About Sugar‘.
‘The Truth about Sugar‘ is the first educational book about sugar’s biology in the human body. It is written for all adults with a genuine interest in health and in sugar’s fascinating journey in the human body.
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