by Melanie Chezem



My kids are hungry.  Not just hungry…crazy hungry.  They are eating all hours of the day.  “I’m hungry,” they say.  “I’m starving!” they whine.  It’s nonstop.  They have suddenly turned into these ravenous little eating machines. I think perhaps they have somehow hollowed out their legs and/or maybe their thyroids have kicked into high gear.  Whatever the case, my life has turned into an all day snack attack. 



I’m sure there’s a simple explanation, like “they’re growing.”  That’s what everyone says when you talk about your kids being hungry.  “Oh, must be a growth spurt.”  Well perhaps it is. Actually, the fact that my six year old’s shirts are suddenly inadvertently turning into midriffs AGAIN could be strong evidence to support this theory. 



I’m beginning to wonder if our home-based food revolution might be part of the equation.  I’m a moderation girl.  I don’t deprive my kids of anything, but the healthy/organic to junk food ratio tips rather drastically in the direction of the good stuff.  As of lately I’ve been trying to cut out more of the processed foods and substituting more fruit and nuts at snack time.  Ah, it all makes perfect sense now.  I know exactly how they feel!  I’ve been eating nuts and berries like a freaking nomad in an effort to lose that last ten pounds and I’m STARVING.  I mean, let’s face it, an apple doesn’t leave you full as long as, oh let’s say, half a box of Cheez-its.  

I guess I really can’t blame them for being hungry.  No wait - they get a lot more substance in their meals than I do.  I balance their plates like they’re sitting on a discerning scale.  It’s as though they have an imaginary pyramid floating above their heads and I check off the categories as the day goes by.  (Now I’m going to say that some days the “Eat Sparingly” category doesn’t have more than a few checks but we’re not striving for perfection here!) They also get dessert if they finish their lunch and dinner.  So clearly, they should be full.  But they’re not.  They don’t seem to get full unless perhaps there are only peas left on their plate, and even then, they’re only full until I threaten to take away their dessert. Then they are rather quick to shovel in the remaining green from their plates.  The power of an Oreo is simply immeasurable.



They are rather active.  Everything about my life can attest to that.  I blame myself partly because I recently implemented a little strategy I like to call, “Operation: wear them out!” which basically has us engaged in some kind of activity whether it’s playing at the park, having a dance party or just plain running around the yard from the moment they finish lunch until we have somewhere else to go.  It’s my answer to their unwillingness to go to bed some nights.  If all else fails, wear them out, right? 



Oh and did I mention they’re both complete beanpoles?  Tall and slender, almost irritatingly so because I always have to buy the next size up, meaning the waist band is always too big.  Oh to have a healthy child’s metabolism.  I can’t help but feel a little envious of their ability to eat nonstop and still be constantly pulling up their pants to avoid an embarrassing show of their bottom.



So maybe I’m over-thinking this.  I’m going to go ahead and toss out the theory of the metabolic disorder.  I can’t see a feasible way that they’ve been hollowing out body parts without my knowledge.  So I’m guessing it’s a combination of all the other stuff….the constant running, the eating healthy and the fact that they’re, well, growing.  After all, that’s what kids do. 



Melanie Chezem is a freelance writer and stay-at-home mom to two little girls.  Whether it's life as a mom or life in general, she tells it like it is at www.mommyspills.com.