My two teenage boys seem to be growing every week. After regularly having a measurement moment, I have to accept that the youngest is also bigger than I am. Their appetite also grows with their height. And no, not when it comes to Brussels sprouts, chicory, cauliflower or red cabbage. Their preference is for junk food. Pizza Hawaii, fries, frikandel special, banana milkshake, chips, cookies and candy above a healthy bite.
Over the years they have turned into junk food and potato chips monsters. Now it seems to be normal for an adolescent to eat unhealthy, but still. Bell pepper chips with ridges or the purple bag with triangular chips are preferred. Nowadays they easily put a family bag of this delicacy in their hollow tooth. But they also don't turn their hand around for natural chips or any other flavour. According to them, it is not that bad, the amount of chips and junk food they eat. Such a bag consists for half of air, in their opinion you are lucky if there are some chips in it. In addition, they learn from us, their parents, that they have to finish what they start. That is why a bag of chips must be eaten immediately. (…) I had meant this educational rule just a little differently.
When my two sons go to hang out with friends, as they call it, in addition to a bottle of cola or cans of beer (alcohol-free or not), they always come with a bag of chips. One is robbed from Mom's closet, which had just been filled again. You're really lugging yourself a snap of groceries! It is then clamped violently under the carrier strap. My husband and I always watch the scene shaking our heads. It can't help but leave a bag full of crumbly chips (and air). But we're totally wrong about that, and we should leave it up to them for the most part.
If our teenagers are alone at home and feel like junk food or chips, we get text messages from them with requests. Adolescent behavior? Well, requests, they are more announcements. “If you don't respond within three seconds, I can have these chips”, then app them. Added a photo of a bag of chips, circled in color. When I just happened to check my apps and I did respond within three seconds with a big fat “NO” I cracked up laughing myself. Not my teenager, he didn't think it was funny. I also regularly receive an app like this:“Which bag of chips can I get, this one or this one, see photo?” Whether he is allowed chips at all is not even a question.
Empty bags of those chips and food, according to my teenage sons, don't belong in the trash, by the way. Just like empty dishes don't belong in the dishwasher. No, they're supposed to swing somewhere in their room, if you're going to believe the teenagers. After all, tidying up is not in their dictionary. At least, not on their own initiative. The room of the eldest in particular is richly decorated with clothing and empty packaging lying around. However, I don't think it's such a festive sight.
They are insatiable, those junk food consuming growing youth. It's not good for their body, chips and junk food. But yes, as they say themselves; Pepper chips contain vegetables! And on a Big Mac there is a slice of pickle, which is also healthy. According to them, they are doing quite healthy, those teenagers of mine. I do not share that opinion, with the exception of the meals. Yet I only caught them on a healthy change. I noticed that the packs of apple juice, orange juice and the like didn't shrink so much in the storage drawer. When I asked about it, both sons replied that from now on they will take water to school. I almost had a heart attack. Could this be the start of a healthy(er) life? It's probably false hope, but every little bit helps.
