On the 2nd day of school last week, I gave Alycia a few Ringgit for her to buy food from the canteen. But she left her purse in her bag inside the classroom after she left the classroom during recess. Her teacher had warned the pupils not to enter the classroom during recess time, so this obedient girl of mine did not eat anything (except for a few pinches of crackers from her classmate). Her last meal was at 7pm during dinner the day before. Before going to school in the morning, she only had a mug of milk at 6am. By the time she reached home and had her lunch, it was already 2:30pm! Imagine going without any solid food for over 17 hours and she’s only 8 years old! When she told me this, I was so heart-broken and worried sick about the repercussion. Her case was worse than someone who is fasting for the person who fasts would not have a gap of more than 12 hours without food. Alycia went without any food for over 17 hours!! I gave her a long lecture and explained to her the serious consequences of not eating any food early in the morning or during recess time. I told her that she could have fainted as a result of being too weak and during the fall when she faints, she could have hit her head or face on the road and that would be really really serious.
The next day, true to my expectation, Alycia developed gastric and a very colicky tummy. After dinner the next day, she told me that she had stomachache but she could not poo. The pain was on the upper and middle abdomen, which suggested wind. She curled herself up on the couch and cried in pain. I then explained to her that the pain was a result of the gastric juice and lots of wind being formed in her tummy as a result of going hungry for over 17 hours. She was scared I could see.
Also, the next day after the incident, Alycia was unusually hungry. She ate a slice of Gardenia white bread the moment she reached home from school. After lunch, she whacked another slice of bread. Just before dinner – another slice of bread and after dinner yet another slice of bread with some yoghurt drink. It was pay back time for her body.
After my mum read about this from my blog, she made a Skype video call to us and wrote this on the paper for Alycia to read:
and also gave her yet another advice on the dangers of not eating. Did I tell you that this girl has recently become a health and weight freak? She has become very concerned of getting fat and would weigh herself on the scale! Errr, don’t get me wrong, I may be a weight freak too but no, I will never tell my own daughters not to eat to remain slim. I suspect some boys may be calling some girls fat and she just does not want to be teased?
I have been encouraging Alycia to eat at least a slice of bread, have some breakfast cereals or put a spoon of Nestum in her milk in the morning but this girl will adamantly tell me NO! She kept telling me that she does not have the time or appetite to eat in the morning.
Does your child eat anything before going to school?
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Oh dear, I was worried when I read yr post. My girls are poor eaters at school, becos they wnt to play/chat with friends. I alwys make sure they hv breakkie – cereal with fruit, muffins or toast or oat porridge in winter. Then if they eat a little at school, I know they hv had a good start to the day. I used to nt eat breakkie in primary schl becos the bus comes so early to pick me up, so my mum used to pack snacks for me to eat when I reach school. Hope Alicia will listen to you and her grandma.
Charmaine, I always leave a lunch box as ’emergency snack’ with biscuits in Alycia’s bag (now Sherilyn too), on top of another lunch box with food for the day. But on that day, I had forgotten all about the ’emergency snack’. Good lesson for the both of us, through the painful way 🙁
It’s important for Alycia to eat something before going to school. Cereal, oats, bread or half boiled eggs would be good for her and easy to prepare. Breakfast is a meal not to be missed.
I felt sorry for her too when I read your post. Hope she’s feeling better now – I had gastric for years so know how it feels. Soya bean milk helps, it seems.
How about giving her pocket money in her pinafore pocket? I was a slow eater in primary school plus I always lost my stuff e.g. water tumbler, purses, etc.
My Mum gave me about 40-50 sen to place in the pocket and topped it with a hanky to prevent it falling out.
Unfortunately, I was a skinny monkey from Std 1-3 coz I was such a slow eater. She packed food from Std 4 onwards 🙂
For my own skinny monkey, I make sure he has something to eat for breakfast coz they have singing and dancing in the morning and recess is only at 10 am.
If he wakes up late, I give him a bun/crackers with STRICT instructions to eat them on the bus!
Joanne, I wish she would just listen to me but she is also another hard-headed girl. No means no! 🙁
KittyMom, yes after that incident, I told her to put her purse in her pinafore pocket. I have thought of asking her to eat in the van too but the van driver prohibits eating in the van. I think I shd just thicken her milk each morning by adding 1 more spoon of milk powder so that it is more filling!
Shireen, can you get maybe those cereal drinks for Alicia? Over here, we have these breakfast drinks called Up and Go by Sanitarium, a liquid breakfast that fills you up. Only thing is, it is 98.5% fat free, so may not be suitable for kids. There might be something similar in Msia eg. Nesvita (3 in1 cereal drink).
Charmaine, over here there are plenty of such 3-in-1 beverage / cereal drinks. The problem is this girl hates all these. She even hates chocolate milk which most kids will like. She hates her milk too but she knows she must drink it for calcium and for nutrition. This morning, I kept encouraging her to eat something but she felt so irritated! Don’t know what to do with her now!
oh poor Alycia, even as a adult also cannot tahan fasting for 17hours. Glad she is recovered now. No, my children didn’t eat anything before going to school. Like you, I add some Nestum in their milk. As kindy will have snack around 9.30-10am, so it still ok. I wonder what should I prepare for my girl when she enter primary school next year. So early in the morning really no appetite to eat anything wor.
i had the same worry as Vicky ….too, my boy only drink one bottle of milk in the morning, sometime i m vy upset too, after well prepared the b’fest, he just ignore to eat and bring to kiddy, at the moment i was still ok, as the kiddy was having snack at ard 10am too . That what i worry when he got to primary sch next year . how am i going to make him eat a proper B’fest, guess this habit hv to start really young …..
oh dear..poor girl. it is kinda hard to eat much so early in the morning. could you give a little snack that she can eat in the van on the way to school? i usually give ashley a piece of bread or a small slice of cake and then followed by milk before she goes to her kindy last year. now that she’s in P1, she is eating less because of the change of time-table *sigh*.
I totally support breakfast and healthy eating but there is no need to panic for a missed meal here n there. Remember, even kids have to be NPO for certain procedures and that sometimes lasts for more than 17 hours. I see that part of the problem here is the fear the teachers have instilled in the kids. What stopped Alicia from going to her teacher, or any teacher for that matter to get whatever she forgot in the classroom? Do u think the teacher would have said “Too bad kid, u go hungry. I am NOT letting u back into the classroom!”. (And if that teacher actually said that, I would create such fireworks that the school would regret it).
Lord knows my kids forget completely to take their lunch to school and I know for a fact that the teacher always has a stash of crackers/ cereal bars at her desk for such situations. No, my kids did NOT attend private schools…all public-funded and free! But, schools are for learning and for kids to grow (not just physically), and the people we have entrusted them to do so(ie teachers) should take that responsibility seriously.
It is important not to skip breakfast , for my son, he just drink his milk before going to school and I give him some food in his lunchbox for him to eat during the tea break.
Oh…poor thing. I hope she is alright now…
And it’s really sweet of your mum writing those message to Alysia….
p/s: Your mum skype, how cool is that! 🙂
Oh dear!! Imagine we adult went without food for 17 hours, not to say an 8 years old kid.
My kid is in her final kindy year and starting end of last year I cooked breakfast for her. Either instant mee, luncheon meat sandwich or French Toast, as long as she wants to eat.
that’s the no-so-good thing about early morning school 🙁 I used to hate eating early in the morning too, before I go to school.
My kids both before going to daycare/kindy in the morning will take at least 1/2 cup of milk.
AL will take snack in kindy. JL will take lunch in daycare and I will pack him food for his recess break.