My kids have a snack when they come home from school but otherwise, no they are not snacking at random times and when they feel like to or they will ruin their appetite for dinner.

Anonymous wrote:Op here. Kids are in middle school. They come to me when they are hungry. I do not know that they are supposed to make their own food. They only know how to use toaster and grab cookie/chips. They can make peanut butter sandwich & make a bowl of cereal themselves. I have not shown them the proper way to use microwave, air fryer, stove or small oven. What age are they supposed to make their food and pick their food ( whatever they want, even junk food)?

By middle school they should be doing all of these things. It’s fine if you want to keep doing these things for your kids. But it’s totally unnecessary if you just take a mi it’s to teach them. Personally I can’t imagine that. In upper ES my kids were having cupcake and cookie Baki g parties with their friends and making simple meals if we weren’t home.

Anonymous wrote:Whatever they can make themselves. I keep sandwich foods, pasta, fruit, cereal, hamburger patties, pizza bites, Tostitos, stuff to make quesadillas, toast, bagels.

Not healthy!

That is a little strange OP. Most kids are getting their own snacks by 8 or 9 and can make a meal by 11 or 12. Lots of kids make their own breakfast or lunch by 9 or 10.

Anonymous wrote:Op here. Kids are in middle school. They come to me when they are hungry. I do not know that they are supposed to make their own food. They only know how to use toaster and grab cookie/chips. They can make peanut butter sandwich & make a bowl of cereal themselves. I have not shown them the proper way to use microwave, air fryer, stove or small oven. What age are they supposed to make their food and pick their food ( whatever they want, even junk food)?

Your middle school aged kids don’t know how to use the microwave? You can’t be serious

Fruit, string cheese, nuts, chips, cereal, sandwiches, etc. They shouldn’t need to cook for snacks, although some microwave small items are fine. My kid went through a pizza roll phase at that point. He still ate dinner.

Anonymous wrote:Op here. Kids are in middle school. They come to me when they are hungry. I do not know that they are supposed to make their own food. They only know how to use toaster and grab cookie/chips. They can make peanut butter sandwich & make a bowl of cereal themselves. I have not shown them the proper way to use microwave, air fryer, stove or small oven. What age are they supposed to make their food and pick their food ( whatever they want, even junk food)?

My DS was helping to cook family meals in 7th grade, cooking is a life skill. He cooks a meal a week now. He has known how to use the microwave since he could reach it.

We have snacks but remind him of moderation. He snack on seaweed, peanut butter toast, Raman, fruit and the like. He hasn’t started puberty so his eating hasn’t gone crazy yet.

Banana, plain Greek yogurt, cracker with guacamole and string cheese, also salt free mixed nuts.

We keep a fruit bowl on the counter. "Go have a piece of fruit." They can have an apple with peanut butter. They can have a bowl of oatmeal with a banana. They can have a couple of oranges.

Using a microwave is not rocket science - unless they're very slow they can probably figure it out themselves. Just tell them not to put tinfoil in there.

Op here. Kids are in middle school. They come to me when they are hungry. I do not know that they are supposed to make their own food. They only know how to use toaster and grab cookie/chips. They can make peanut butter sandwich & make a bowl of cereal themselves. I have not shown them the proper way to use microwave, air fryer, stove or small oven. What age are they supposed to make their food and pick their food ( whatever they want, even junk food)?

This is the older kids forum. I don’t offer anything and they get their own food. My teens eat constantly, it seems like 24/7. I actually was woken up to my 15 yo daughter eating twice recently at 10 or 11 because she said she was starving. She’s an athlete and works out a ton.

My son ate a tremendous amount up until he was 17. His snacks were more like meals. His appetite calmed down a lot this past year but he still eats more than DH or me, it’s just not 24/7 and a pizza or two burgers as a snack. I’m not even joking.

Fruit, cheese, sandwich stuff, yogurt, chicken, tortillas, pasta, ground beef, steak.

Ours (older brother is at college) eats dinner then has 2nd dinner around 10pm.


He’s fit, runs and works out a ton, plays soccer, and doesn’t eat much “junk.”


He’s a senior in HS, he’s definitely going to get a ton out of his college meal plan next year.

My teens will eat leftovers, bagels, cereal, fruit, frozen turkey burgers, popcorn, scrambled eggs, smoked salmon and crackers, or cheese and crackers, among other things. Basically, what PP said, stuff they can make themselves.

Whatever they can make themselves. I keep sandwich foods, pasta, fruit, cereal, hamburger patties, pizza bites, Tostitos, stuff to make quesadillas, toast, bagels.

My picky eaters are probably growing, and they are hungry almost the time between meals. I don't want them to eat on too much junk food as snacks. What snacks fo you offer between meals?