Food in Folklore
In the folklore of ancient times, gifts of food were given to the gods to appease them. Similarily, offering gifts and rewards of sweets to children persists in today's folklore.
http://www.drethangregory.com/blog/reawrding-children-with-food
There is a jar of suckers on the counter at the hair salon. As I deposit money at the bank the teller asks how many kids I have in the car so she can pass a sweet treat through. If a child isn’t given a treat because he is wearing a costume at Halloween, he threatens a trick in return. The Easter Bunny leaves eggs filled with candies. There are special shapes and colors of candies for every holiday in the grocery store. The ice cream truck drives slowly through the neighborhoods playing catching tunes drawing the attention of little ones long before they can see the truck.
When a child achieves a desired status or learns a certain principle in school they are awarded a coupon redeemable for ice cream or pizza.
These customs pervade the folklore of our day. Depending on how you look at it, this may be fine for a regular functioning child. However, for the child whose brain and mood function best with specific kinds of food, this onslaught is nothing less than an all-out attack on their well being. As parents of children with ADHD, how do we combat this culture of folklore and food?
When I was growing up one of my most favorite things to do was spend the weekend with my grandparents. There were a lot of things I loved about it but at the top of my list was eating the things Grandma prepared from her garden. I loved her carrots, tomatoes, swiss chard, corn, peas, and beans. She knew all the places where wild asparagus and watercress grew. I practically idolized my Grandma. I wanted to be just like her. To me, that meant growing a garden when I had a place of my own.
On a positive note, families that participate in gardening is up 200% since 2008 (Lissy). Perhaps in an effort to overcome the tantalizing effects of the current food folklore influencing us and our kids we can begin gardening ourselves. Being close to the food source at Grandma’s house had a large influence on me. I learned to not only love the food but to love the process. As our children with ADHD participate in the growth and preparation of the food that is good for their brains, maybe they will be able to appreciate it for its taste as well.
Works Cited
Lissy, Marin. Gardening Boom: 1 in 3 American Households Grow Food. Farmer Food Share.
. Accessed 19 July 2019
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