Mom Never Says 'No' to Her Kids When They Say They're Hungry

A stay-at-home mother and self-proclaimed gentle parent took to TikTok to explain the parenting strategies she had adopted to raise her children. Despite what people said about her approach, she remained steadfast in her decisions.

A woman named Rachel, who uses her TikTok platform to talk about being a stay-at-home mom, mental health, and gentle parenting, shared a video about all the things she and her husband did that might be different from other parents.

Rachel talked about how she and her husband would handle punishment, what topics she was comfortable answering questions about, and other such things. However, what caught most people's attention was her opinion on food.

Rachel shared how she and her husband approached the topic of food and especially snacks with their children. She soon found that many other parents agreed with her about her strategies.

What Did Rachel Say About Food?

While Rachel said that she and her husband would not punish their children as harshly if the children told them they had done something wrong before she found out and said that she would answer any question they had, no matter the topic, she also said she would handle food differently to many parents.

Rachel said she would never say no to her children when they told her they were hungry. She shared:

"There will never be an instance where I say, 'You can wait,' or 'Not right now,' or 'The kitchen is closed.'"

This stay-at-home mom believes that she should not teach her children to ignore the natural cues of their bodies and said that if she restricted food, her children would become deceitful about when they were eating. She knew this because it was something she had done.

Although Rachel opened the video saying these were parenting strategies she had that went "against the grain," she received many comments about the food strategy, in which people said they did the same thing.

What Did Netizens Say?

Rachel received many comments asking how she handled the conversation about food with her children. One asked what she would do if her children told her they were hungry, but dinner was 30 minutes away from being ready.

She replied that she would give them a small snack, like a "cheese stick or a handful of veggie straws," to tide them over until their dinner was ready, which would go a long way with a small child.

Another commenter said they only refused their child food if dinner was five minutes away from being served. Rachel replied:

"Oh yeah, then I just say, 'Get yourself something to drink, wash your hands, and have a seat.'"

One user said that the only thing she disagreed with Rachel on was eating because she would never allow her child to have a cookie before dinner. Rachel advised the woman to offer her children a snack that wouldn't ruin their dinner.

One woman remarked: "My MIL [mother-in-law] does not understand why I ALWAYS have snacks for the kids." The woman's mother-in-law had told her that her children had only ever eaten when they were told they could.

The same woman said she would even give her children snacks at a restaurant while they waited for their food if they wanted it, adding that she received dirty looks because of it, but she did not care.

Another mother said she allowed her children to eat whenever they wanted, but they were not allowed to eat unhealthy snacks all day. Rachel agreed that children should be allowed to eat whenever they wanted, just not whatever they wanted. She said she and her family stuck to "always" and "sometimes" foods.

While some mothers prefer to be open with their children to avoid harsh punishment, like Rachel, other parents have a different ethos. One such woman punished her son, but her husband was not on board with the punishment. You can read the full story here.