I suppose every week is breakfast week for some of us. But 32% of children go to school without breakfast even in a developed country like the UK.
In Wales they have a scheme intended to provide access to school breakfasts for all children. Provision for the rest of the nation relies on individual councils.
It’s tempting to bring some missionary zeal to the idea of breakfast for all children, particularly after seeing projects like Mary’s Meals but it’s expensive and I’m not 100% sure that we should be doing it. Having a family is like having a dog, don’t have one unless you can look after it.
So, eat breakfast because it’s good for you. And make sure you make your kids eat breakfast (though I believe bloggers will already be doing this).
If you aren’t already giving your kids breakfast all you need to do is chuck them a cereal bar – how difficult can it be?
As part of the week’s events we are going to talk to two school assemblies tomorrow. Three hundred children. I don’t like public speaking at the best of times but holding the attention of that many kids is going to be tricky.
I’ve heard people say they would rather die than speak in public. I wouldn’t go that far, even though I really do loathe it, but I’m thinking that if Julia organises anything like this again I might just kill her.
When my kids were school age, I did my part by providing stuff they could choose and prepare for themselves on weekdays: orange juice AND one of the following: cereal/milk OR yogurt OR bagel/cream cheese OR microwave oatmeal OR toaster pancakes-type things (but not pop tarts). I cooked breakfast on the weekends (usually an egg-based meal or fresh pancakes/French toast). They grew up expecting to make those decisions for themselves, and never questioned the need to eat _something_ in the morning.
On your other line, I actually give classes in public speaking. Happy to share a few tips if you want.
Breakfast is my favourite meal of the day but like the Happy Meerkat I can’t eat straight away after getting up. I can have a tea or coffee but food must wait for a couple of hours and even then I usually only eat a bowl of muesli. Both my daughters have good appetites I am glad to say and both usually eat breakfast.
Yes, it can be difficult eating right away but I find that by the time I’ve cooked eggs, bacon, sausages, beans, toast, mushrooms and tomatoes I can mange a morsel or two. 😉
Yes to breakfast, no to cereal bars– so much sugar for a high that can only be followed by a low… and the need for more sugar!
Ah well, back to the drawing board… 😉
I feel for you (I once virtually dried up when making a speech)
I know that feeling. 😉
Some children won’t eat breakfast. Mine for example. Too busy beautifying herself for school – but at least it’s on offer….
That’s all you can do. Mine hardly read a book despite us having piles of them round the house. Kids eh?
Kids indeed – same issue for me with reading!
I agree that kids should go to school with a breakfast in them, but at the same time I could never eat much for breakfast as a kid and to this day don’t know how people can eat a big breakfast, I can only ever manage a small mouthful in the early morning. My stomach only wakes up at around 11am!
Yes, but even a mouthful is good. The best time I had was when I worked on a farm where we started at 7.00 but went in for cooked breakfast at 9.00. 😉
Breakfast is also cultural – I had coffee and a hard roll (or an end of a loaf soaked in coffee) until I went to school and learned about American breakfasts. My Italian born mother still thinks she isn’t eating breakfast if it doesn’t include porridge, 2 eggs, bacon or sausage, toast, juice and maybe a pancake or two, no matter how often we tell her her egg and toast and juice really ARE a meal.
Yes, we did “Breakfast around the world” a few times last year. With limited resources the German (salami and cheese on rye) and French breakfast (pain au chocolat) always beat the English (toast and marmalade) and Australian (toast and vegemite), though it wasn’t really a fair contest. 😉
I love the sound of French breakfast :).