Cruel to Be Kind: Saying no can save a child’s life. Cathy Glass

      Chapter Eight

       Tears

      On Saturday morning, when I went into Max’s bedroom to see if he was awake, I found him sitting up in bed reading, which he told me he did at home at the weekends. Then he said that on Saturdays and Sundays and during the school holidays he had two breakfasts at home to make up for the one he didn’t have at school, and would he be doing the same with me. I explained that we usually had breakfast and then a mid-morning snack, which he accepted, but it soon became clear that this wasn’t enough for Max. Not only was he used to having two breakfasts, he also ate constantly throughout the day, given the opportunity. I sensed that eating had become a habit for him – a pastime – rather than resulting from any pressing need to satiate hunger, which is what usually drives healthy eating. Max told me that at home he and his sisters helped themselves to biscuits, packets of crisps, chocolate bars and drinks of cola and lemonade whenever they wanted to. He said he ate these snacks in his bedroom, where he appeared to spend most of his time, as the television was always on in the living room with programmes about celebrities that his sisters liked. Of course, Max could have some snack foods with me, but in moderation, and I hoped to replace some of them with healthier alternatives.