Unschooling food

Okay, I'm going to write something important really fast. The kids are in the other room for the moment. Never mind, the baby is back. . . Anyway, on the topic of food and feeding (restricting, advising, shaming, etc.):

Food and feeding is a complex topic. Unschoolers argue big about food. Most unschoolers agree that controlling what and when children eat conflicts with unschooling philosophy. Controlling implies lack of trust and gets in the way of children relying on their own senses (in other words, listening to their own bodies). I agree with this, for the most part.

I don't tell my kids they can't have something. I do tell them if they are allergic to it. When my daughter tells me she has a tummy ache after drinking a large glass of carbonated juice, I point out the probable connection. I make meals a few times a day. Otherwise, I stock a snack tray and keep it on a low shelf in the fridge. The kids get it out whenever they want. If any of my kids decide to follow a dietary lifestyle, such as raw food or vegan, I will support them. I will also weigh in with my thoughts.

Allergies and medical conditions
Enter allergies (a.k.a. sensitivities, intolerances). People sometimes argue about the seriousness of "true" allergies versus sensitivities. In any case, a particular food invokes an immune response or otherwise affects the body. The food harms the body. The body rejects the food, sometimes in seriously harmful ways.

The problem: Allergic or other reaction symptoms might not manifest in ways that make direct connection sense to the child (i.e., gluten damage to the gut, artificial coloring effects on brain function, etc.) Some unschooling parents argue that children should figure out food cause and effect on their own. I disagree. My children have serious, life threatening allergies. I'm not going to mess around with that.

Junk food and special diets
On the other hand, one could argue that junk food harms the body or a vegetarian or meat-based diet harms the body. One could argue that they protect their children's health by restricting allergens, sugar, grains, animal products, artificial ingredients, foodstuffs, etc. We all want to protect our children.

At the risk of sounding like a cop out, I think each person should do their best to find a middle ground between harm from food and harm from control of food. I keep my food ideology and aim for it, but I don't expect to achieve perfection, and I refuse to feel ashamed. That's what I tell my kids, too. We enjoy what we choose to eat, otherwise, why eat it?

Frequent breaks and coherence of thought
Since I had children seven years ago, just about every expression I make, written or otherwise, I make in short bursts with frequent interruptions, which is decidedly contrary to my preferred manner of putting together a written piece or discussion. . . So, I hope what I write here comes across the way I intend.

As implied above, my three young children interact with me frequently. I love this! I may complain at times, but truly, they have helped me grow and change my ways from perfectionist work-a-holic to calmer and more easygoing. In other words, they remind me to relax, recharge, have fun.