Scout Not Eating Patrol Menu at Campouts

[Chippewa29]

I just got back from our fall camporee and fortunately, things went well for the most part. The Scouts had fun, the weather was great, and the Scouts did a pretty good job with campsite operations.

 

Something I am really getting concerned about is what one of our Scouts eats on campouts. This Scout is 13, in eighth grade, and has been around for 2 1/2 years. He's a First Class Scout and a very nice kid. A little immature for his age, but overall a good kid.

 

This Scout is the pickiest eater I have ever come across. He won't eat fruits, vegetables (except for french fries), bread (unless its a bagel), milk, water (unless mixed with Kool Aid), fruit juice, cereal (unless its a sugary kind), pancakes, french toast, peanut butter, etc. The only healthy things he will eat are steak and chicken (and he'll only eat chicken if its done a certain way). This kid will eat junk food all day long if you let him.

 

Here is a breakdown of the menus and what he actually ate yesterday. For breakfast, the Scouts made scrambled eggs and bacon with orange juice. He ate a piece of bacon and a doughnut and drank hot chocolate. For lunch, the Scouts had sandwiches with ham, turkey, lettuce, tomato, along with kool aid and nacho chips. He ate the chips and kool aid. For dinner, they had spaghetti and meatballs along with biscuits and milk. He at a bagel with cream cheese and drank kool aid again. Of course, he had no problem eating a couple of smores at crackerbarrel.

 

I've talked with his dad (very good guy that is active in the troop and a normally healthy eater) about this in the past. The dad says his son just refuses to eat anything healthy and he'd rather have him eating empty calories than nothing. As I am single and childless, I don't feel like I can press this issue too much, as I've had multiple parents in the past stating that I don't know kids because I don't have them (another thread for another time).

 

My instinct on this is to tell the Scout that if he doesn't eat healthy food, then he can't have dessert or crackerbarrell when its something unhealthy that he does like. I've seen numerous picky eaters over the years on campouts that would get less picky as the weekend went on and realize that some of these "icky" foods actually weren't half bad. The picky Scouts that stick around have always gotten less picky over time.

 

I know that some Scouts are just picky eaters (especially when younger), but this Scout just refuses to change and it looks like his parents have just given up on getting him to eat anything healthy. Also, the other Scouts are questioning why he gets to eat what he wants while they have to go by the patrol menu?

 

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

[eolesen]

If the other scouts are questioning it, that's a good thing... The PLC in my son's troop came to the conclusion that buying food that wasn't being eaten by a picky eater was a waste of their money.

 

So, they decided (and was reasonably able to enforce) that the only food brought on campouts was the what menu. Scouts could still bring along personal stuff (jerky, trail mix) within reason. If the empty calories aren't there to be eaten, eventually they'll have to eat the good ones. It also forced the picky eaters to participate more in the menu planning process.

 

[GernBlansten]

Just wait until this scout does a high adventure. Big wakeup call.

We had a scout who was a very picky eater, he only ate chicken fingers and poptarts (every meal, no kidding). He wouldn't eat at our campouts. Maybe he stashed poptarts in his pack but we never saw it. At northern tiers, his dad was pretty nervous about the menu. He had never eaten fish nor dehydrated food. My opinion is that hunger can change alot of attitudes. Well after the 2nd day, he tried the dehydrated food. By the 4th day he tried some fish. By the end of the trek, he was just like every other scout. Cured!

[Slouchhat]

Wow, that boy would be in for a big surprise on my crew.

We eat what's on the menu, nothing else, unless the kid's excused for medical reasons like allergies, etc.

As they say over here: hunger's the best cook and after a day without food, he will love a piece of bread with whatever is available on it.

But if his patrolmates are already questioning his behaviour, they might sit him down on this matter anyway.

 

best regards,

Volker

[Eamonn]

" Also, the other Scouts are questioning why he gets to eat what he wants while they have to go by the patrol menu? "

It's really great that it is a Patrol Menu!!

But why would the other Scouts give a hoot what he eats? Especially if they made the menu and choose what they were eating?

The question as I see it is: "

What role does the Troop /Patrol have in this Lads diet?

It seems that he isn't doing anything at camp that he doesn't do at home!!

His parents are aware of what he eats and what he doesn't!!

The Troop is making food available for him and he is paying his way?

Hopefully he understands the need for a healthy diet?

So the Troop has done all it can do and needs to do.

He however is a member of the Patrol and as a member he needs to know that just because he has opted not to eat what they are eating does not mean that he gets a pass when it comes to cooking and helping with the clear up.

I think maybe trying to get him to think about the cooking Merit Badge might be a good idea?

Or at weekends if the Patrol uses Dutch Ovens have him make the gourmet delicacies that come out of a DO.

If there is a real concern about him not eating at Campouts, maybe talking with his parents and have them provide a dietary supplement might be a good idea?

Eamonn.

 

[Beavah]

Yah, I might just be a curmudgeonly old fart, eh?

 

I'd say...

 

1) Encourage the parents to get into a class on proper parenting and kid nutrition.

 

2) The patrol cooks what da patrol cooks and there is no other food allowed on campouts.

 

3) If because he isn't eating/drinking adequately it's unsafe for him to go on the hike/play with his patrol/etc., then he sits out.

 

Takes just a few times before kids adjust to different foods and tastes. Doin' yer own food thing just ain't polite, let alone unhealthy. When you go to someone else's dinner party, yeh don't bring your own food. You eat what's provided and say "thankyou."

 

Beavah

[scottteng]

Some kids just go through phases where they don't eat much. That usually does not apply to an active 13 year old boy, mine eats everything there is and is still looking for more. The most popular place in the dining hall was the PB&J seconds table not only with him but most of his troopmates.But some of them were very light eaters. Looks are deceiving as well the chubby kids seemed to be lighter eaters than the thin as a rail ones. My 10 year old is going through a non-eating phase at least half of her already small portion seems to be on her plate at the end of the meal. Maybe the way we were raised to clean our plates has something to do with the current levels of obesity.

[Eamonn]

Her Who Must Be Obeyed has a brother (Only one TG!!)

He is nearing the half century.

He doesn't and never has eaten anything which might be described as a vegetable!

Seems that when he was a little Lad he only ate cold cereal.

He is an Eagle Scout. He was a Wood Badge trained Scoutmaster, serving for about ten years.

So while maybe he isn't my favorite person on the planet?

If he had not been allowed to participate because of his "Picky-ness" Any good he might have done would have been left undone.

As a Dietitian I have had to advise patients and their families in nutritional principles, dietary plans, food selection and preparation. While I mainly worked with elderly

patients, I have worked with some kids.

What people eat at home; can at times be a real eye-opener.

At times because people are too busy or too lazy to cook.

At times parents or care-givers think they are being kind, by allowing people to live on foods that they like, which might not be what they should be eating.

Of course all I could do was advise and at times warn. There is no way I can or could make people follow any diet.

 

As volunteer leaders in Scouting, we are not the parent of the youth.

Last time I checked I seen:

On the Campout, assist in preparing and cooking one of your patrol's meals. Tell why it is important for each patrol member to share in meal preparation and cleanup, and explain the importance of eating together.

On one Campout, plan and cook over an open fire one hot breakfast or lunch for yourself, selecting foods from the food pyramid. Explain the importance of good nutrition.

Help plan a patrol menu for one Campout that includes at least one breakfast, one lunch, and one dinner and that requires cooking at least two meals. Tell how the menu includes the foods from the food pyramid and meets nutritional needs.

b. Using the menu planned in requirement 4a, make a list showing the cost and food amounts needed to feed three or more boys and secure the ingredients.

c. Tell which pans, utensils, and other gear will be needed to cook and serve these meals.

d. Explain the procedures to follow in the safe handling and storage of fresh meats, dairy products, eggs, vegetables, and other perishable food products. Tell how to properly dispose of camp garbage, cans, plastic containers, and other rubbish.

e. On one Campout, serve as your patrol's cook. Supervise your assistant(s) in using a stove or building a cooking fire. Prepare the breakfast, lunch, and dinner planned in requirement 4a. Lead your patrol in saying grace at the meals and supervise cleanup.

 

I'm unsure if these requirements mean that the Scout has to eat the same food as the Patrol? (A lot will depend on how you interpret "explain the importance of eating together.")

Maybe Chippewa29 could tell us how the Lad met these requirements? The Lad is a First Class Scout and has dealt with this.

Eamonn.

 

 

 

[sweetspiritpamh]

Several years ago, I had a girl in my scout troop who refused to eat Friday Nights dinner. I told her just as I would my our children that without eating dinner NO DESSERT would be had. She was in 2nd grade and in hindsight a very stubbord spoiled young girl. Now she may be stubbord but I am more. When she didn't get to eat dessert, she moaned, pouted, and came pretty close to crying, she even yelled at me saying she was going to sue me. I stood my ground.

The next morning she refused to eat a very good breakfast but I was really getting worried, their was no easy of communicating with her family. This was her first trip and she really didn't want to do anything, sing those silly songs, help clean. But by lunch she was on cooking duty and discided to give her own cooking a try. She was either really getting hungary or tired but eat everything on her plate. For dinner she couldn't get enough. Sunday morning breakfast was a hit and then her mother had told me when she as soon as she got home she had to call her grandfather right away to tell him it was the best food she had ever had in her life. I don't quite know what happened but she never gave us a hassel again. And matured to become quite a successful scout. Her mother later told me the scout had never had a adult tell her that she had to do anything before and how her missing a couple of meals made life better for all around her.

In the end unless someone is medically unable to eat everyone should just try. No special meals. It makes it easier and for some reason camp for just tastes better maybe because you are outside all the time and just need it.

[anarchist]

First....

repeat after me..."No kid ever starved on a weekend". Fact is most folks in extreme situations can go several WEEKS without food...

 

If a scout does not want to partake...why not let him bring his own food...outside of "no food in tents", we allow scouts to provide their own eats if they want..But they still pay a food share, just in case they forget their own "special" grub. Then the patrol does not have to "suffer" on shared short rations and the grub master knows everyone is provided for. Usually after a few camps it dies out...We do have a "soda and candy" tradition..if you bring it -you share with your patrol...(jerky and trail mix are personal items)...but all food must be kept out of tents...

 

Have the patrol keep doing the patrol thing, be sure "Mr. picky" does his turns at grub master, kitchen duty and clean up and he will more than likely slowly come around...then again he might not...but who is harmed by his "issue"?

 

One small detail, however- these guys sometimes try to consume other scout's "share" of cobbler, cookies, cocoa -whatever, so just be sure that they only get their fair share of patrol goodies...(had a scout once who would eat (not drink) as many cocoa packets as he could get away with leaving the patrol with out cocoa halfway through the weekend)

 

anarchist

[evmori]

We've had kids like this!

 

What worked for us was telling them they had to eat what was being served or peanut butter & jelly! If they didn't eat either, no snacks! Eventually, they will start to eat what is served. Hunger takes over.

 

Ed Mori

1 Peter 4:10

[Gunny2862]

Haven't had the problem yet.

Our Scouts cook well enough that I've not seen them have a bad meal yet(not that you guys are having bad meals) - so they all eat it.

 

My peeve is the sneaking of snack foods that are kept in their packs/ tents rather than safely bear bagged or trailered in non-bear country.

 

I don't so much care about the snacking, its the situation that will arise when that raccoon or skunk is hungrier than it is scared of going in the tent. Or when Jerky grease is lingering in a tent that goes to Bear Country.

 

 

[Crossramwedge]

We have picky eaters. We allow the boys to bring jerky and trail mix on campouts. At night it must be properly stored so they do not "Welcome" visitors of the four leg kind at night. No Candy, soda or personal chips. If they do not like what is on the menu, they eat only what they like or go hungry. They deal with it. They still do all the chores, cook, clean up etc. We as leaders do not need to be "Food Police" and force these kids to eat on a campout. On the other hand, if they don't eat what the patrol cooks, then so be it. As far as the kid then eating desert, it may be the only nutrition he gets, so if he does the "Chores" and pays the grub money then he gets at least one "Smores". After all he paid for it. Its our job to try and educate them as to what is good for them. What his parents let him do at home as far as eating habits, right or wrong is their business, not ours unless it amounts to some sort of abuse. If the parent themselves approach the leaders and inform them that they are to withhold "Desert" if the kid does not eat what is on the menu, then thats a different story. If the kid has a eating disorder then the leaders need to be informed of it. Let the parent do their job and let us do ours.

[MarkS]

Don't presume that the boy is picky and can help it. There are other health issues out there that affect a child's eating habits besides allergies. For example, a Nonverbal Learning Disorder (NLD) will have a significant adverse impact on the eating habits of a child. Kids with NLD have a hypersensitivity to the taste ***AND*** texture of food. Check out http://www.nldontheweb.org/ and see if this boy exhibits any of the other traits of NLD.

 

My son has NLD but will eat most breads and pastries (white, wheat, blueberry or cinimon bagels, plain or chocolate chip or blueberry waffles and panckaes, and the centers of Pop Tarts), Kraft American Cheese (he can tell if you didn't buy Kraft), potatos (with sufficient quantities of butter and sour cream), boneless skinless unbattered chicken (with sufficient quantities of Kraft Honey or KC Style BBQ sauce), Kraft Cheesiest Mac & Cheese (must be Kraft, must be chessiest, he can tell the difference) Del Monte peaches in heavy syrup (he can tell if it is not Del Monte), broccoli and cauliflower (with sufficient quantities of Kraft Honey or KC Style BBQ sauce) but no other vegetables (go figure), grape juice, milk, and water (he will not drink soda--doesn't like the texture of the bubbles).

 

Fortunately, his patrol has learned to plan menus so that each meal incorporates an item he likes. It may be the only thing he eats at that meal but they all have something to eat. Now getting them to work as a team, follow their duty roster, and complete meal preparation and cleanup in a timely manner... that's another story.

[Vicki]

Like Ed, the two troops I've served have always had peanut butter and jelly on hand, but that's the only choice other than eat the patrol menu (pieces and parts of it, maybe, but still the patrol menu).

 

Vicki