Having had plenty of friends and coworkers who have shared experiences of their sons and the teenage years, I've been waiting for some of these issues to come up with Jace - and it seems like puberty has finally arrived, folks. Jace has never been a big eater - he's always eaten just enough to get by, and then he's ready to leave the table and get back outside or to whatever he's doing. But first I noticed him starting to eat more at mealtime, and NOW it seems like it is snack time, all the time. I used to be able to buy snacks and they would last for a week or so - but I come home now and my little 13-year-old has cleared through a whole box of Cheezits in two days, or a bag of cookies in an afternoon. Luckily his metabolism is so fast that he isn't packing on the pounds, but I've told him that he cannot eat junk food like that, or he may have a problem with weight down the road - AND it certainly isn't doing his body any good with all of the empty calories he is consuming.
Last night we (Jace, Brian and I) were watching an episode of Top Gear on History Channel (a total guy show, but I enjoy watching something with the two of them, and it is pretty entertaining) and we each had a bowl of pudding for dessert. Jace finished his lickety split, and was ready for another bowl! I countered his request with a banana, which he happily accepted. Then he had another banana, and still wanted to know what else he could have. So I brought out some roast beef I had made in the slow cooker on Saturday, and I heated some up and made him a sandwich. After all of that, a fudge round to top it off!
I know my shopping list is going to increase - and one of the biggest challenges will be finding/making healthier choices for him to snack on, rather than the Honey Buns and other junk food he would wolf down if I kept it in stock... I bought some cheese, bananas, oranges, canned pears (he loves) and will hard boil some eggs tonight as well. When I made him a chore list today, I made sure to put very specific snack instructions at the bottom - "You can have a cup of pudding and a fudge round, but no more sweets after that - have a banana, piece of cheese or peanuts if you're still hungry, and I'll fix dinner as soon as I get home!"
Baseball season is in full swing, with practices twice a week, so we've got to keep this boy fueled up! Any suggestions are absolutely welcome - should be a busy and fun few years coming up!
Oh, and I have the remaining photos from my February photo challenge, will post those tomorrow!
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