Christian is a very good boy, according to his teacher. This quality usually serves him well, but not with food. Every Monday at Latchkey, someone from 4-H presents a topic on nutrition. For instance, one week, the discussion was on body fat and they actually brought in examples of real fat. Christian, the good boy that he is, takes everything they say to heart and tries to follow it religiously. For months now, he has watched every calorie, cut out all snacks and sweets, and exercised often. He has lost some weight, which is not a good thing for him. Christian has very little body fat, and if he is like some of his family members, he will never have to really worry about weight gain. But, the feeling of not wanting to get fat and following what he has been told pervades. It has gotten so bad that we have had to make him eat snacks. Last night after he came home feeling tired and lousy, I made him eat a big dinner and later a decent sized snack. He wolfed all of it down. He was hungry, of course, but I don’t think he realized it. So, tonight, the snacks will continue—not too many, but enough to keep Christian healthy.
