This post When Convenience Is NOT Saving You Time was inspired by a conversation I had with some parents at a camp ground we have been staying at.
The conversation went something along the lines of “your bus turning up was like the slap we needed”. Our big green bus, Kaley, was designed to capture attention. She was designed to get people to look us up and find out what our mission is all about. These parents had done that.
These parents have been having trouble with the behaviour of their son. They are contemplating having him tested to see if he has ADHD. They were asking me lots of questions about food, in particular processed packaged food and lack of appetite in the mornings. During the course of the conversation, we spoke about how some children are sensitive to additives and preservatives, and how these can impact behaviour, learning, concentration, hyperactivity and more. We spoke about the foods their son was eating and discovered they do tend to be foods with flavour enhancers, which are linked to what the behavioural and concentration issues they are experiencing with their son.
The food we feed our children impacts their behaviour, learning, concentration, growth and development.
Now I am going to tell you the part of the story that prompted this post. It’s a story I hear often. These parents already suspected the food they are feeding their son could be impacting his behaviour. They knew they could be doing better with his food. But like so many parents, the mum said “I just don’t have time to be cooking from scratch”. This is exactly what food manufacturers have marketed so brilliantly. They play to the fact us parents are time poor. Food manufacturers marketing messages tell us – We need their convenience. It makes life easy. We just don’t have time. I have been there – I totally get it, life is busy. I fell for their messages too.
But what if this convenience is NOT saving you anytime?
What if it’s costing you a lot more time, stress and heartache?
What if it’s even making you think something is wrong with your child?
I asked her gently, how much time do you reckon you spend arguing with him each week. I can’t remember her exact response but it was something along the lines of every single day. So I asked her, what would your week look like if you weren’t arguing so much? And she said it would be awesome. I said what if you spent some time on the weekend to prepare better food and it saved you all this arguing, how would that be? Of course, she said it would be great.
If you think food maybe affecting your child’s behaviour, then it probably is. If you think you don’t have time to cook from scratch, then ask yourself, how much time am I spending each week arguing and dealing with poor behaviour.
If you’re spending more than an hour or 2 a week, then you Convenience Is NOT Saving You Time, it’s costing you time. In a couple of hours on the weekend, you can plan and do some basic preparation for the week ahead. You can make your life more convenient by cooking from scratch. You’re just using your time differently. Instead of arguing adhoc through the week, you’re spending that time in a block on the weekend so your week runs more smoothly.
Spend some time on the weekend to plan and do basic preparation, and your week will run more smoothly. You will notice changes in how your household runs, how your children behave. This is true convenience.
A happy ending:
This week the mum of this story came over to visit us at the bus to thank us. She said her and her husband had made a conscious effort to cut back on the packaged food and make more food from scratch. She said her husband had even made a zucchini slice, and her son was eating it – no arguments, even though he could see the zucchini. She also said they were starting to see a difference in her son.
Ladies and gentlemen, this is why I love what I do!
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