Being a parent to teenage boys is no walk in the park. They’re a walking landmine of hormones and testosterone, liable to explode at a moment’s notice. Not only that, but they never stop eating !
This is a fact that one Aussie mum knows all too well. Recently, she decided to share a photo of the heavy lunch she packs for her son — the contents of which seem to have people divided .
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If there’s one thing that teenage boys know how to do — it’s eat.
Generally speaking, boys tend to gain more muscle mass , whereas girls’ bodies acquire more fat.
On average, young boys tend to go through a longer growth spurt than their female peers, and during this time — their appetite is voracious.
A fact that one Australian mum knows all too well.
The mum with the teenage son recently posted a photo of his school lunch in the Aldi Mum Facebook group.
This led some users to criticize her for giving her son too much food.
“If I could fit more I would as he never stops eating,” she captioned the post.
Admittedly, the size of the 17-year-old’s lunch borders on being Herculean.
Every day, the mum packs: two sandwiches, three granola bars, two bananas, three peaches, grapes, a cucumber, two carrots, cherry tomatoes, cookies, cheese, and some trail mix.
Many of the group members were shocked by the sheer amount of food.
“How many children is this for?” one woman asked in disbelief .
“Healthy choices, sure, but that is still a lot of food,” said another. The mother kindly reminded the anonymous strangers that her son is a growing 17-year-old boy.
The mum went on to mention that her son not only plays sports but works out as well.
As a result, “He needs a lot of fuel food,” she said .
The mother isn’t wrong, either. Human beings consume more calories during their adolescent years than at any other time in their lives.
On average, a teenage boy requires a higher caloric intake than a grown man.
According to WebMD , an active teenage boy aged 14-18 years old requires 2800-3200 calories a day.
By comparison, a grown man over the age of 50 requires only 2400-2600.
A few likeminded mothers who also happened to have teenage boys came to the mum’s rescue.
“As a mum of three teenage boys I don’t see anything wrong with this,” one woman wrote .
Others made sure to point out what a fine job the mother had done when it came to teaching her son healthy eating habits.
“This is what active, healthy boys his age eat — you are a great mum, well done,” another echoed.
Others offered constructive criticism by suggesting that the mum add more protein to her son’s diet in order to cut back on food costs.
Things like: eggs, tuna, and beef jerky.
Some of the women asked their own husbands to weigh in on the situation.
They were trying to get an accurate idea of how much the men in their lives ate when they were teenagers.
Not surprisingly, the majority agreed that this is exactly how much teenage boys eat.
One wife’s husband even admitted to eating eight sandwiches in a single sitting.
Are you kidding me — eight sandwiches ?! That’s a lot of empty carbs going into your body.
By comparison, this mum’s lunch for her 17-year-old is much healthier.
But regardless of where you stand, we can still all agree on one basic truth:
Teenagers are damned expensive! If you aren’t careful, they will eat you out of your house and home. This isn’t an opinion, it’s a fact. So you’d better equip them with some healthy eating habits and fast.
Otherwise, you’ll be the one settling the dentist bill.
