Giving another person’s child a piece of candy or fruit seems like a pretty nice gesture. But believe it or not, there are dangers of feeding people’s kids.
Dangers of Feeding People’s Kids
I was at a beauty salon one day when the young daughter of one of the customers began to get fussy. Then one of the other customers, who was unrelated to them, decided to reach into her bag and give the little girl raisins. I cringed, even though the treat wasn’t unhealthy.
This women didn’t know this little girl and her mother. She didn’t even ask the mom permission. I felt uncomfortable about the situation, although I wasn’t a mom at the time.
Fast forward a few years later, and I experienced a similar situation. There was a dad with his son, and the little boy was cranky. A gentleman, who was unrelated to them decided to offer the boy a cookie. The little boy was way too upset to take it, unlike the little girl.
I thought back to that time at the beauty salon, and cringed. I wasn’t a mom back then. But now that I have kids, I think of that happening with my children and it makes me angry.
What if the child has allergies? Think of consequences to you giving a child you don’t know food without a parent’s consent. That cookie could have had nuts or may the little boy was allergic to gluten. Bottom line, it’s unacceptable to offer a child anything without asking the parent first. It wouldn’t be okay with me if someone offered my kids food without asking me first.
So the next time you see a small child and you think you’re doing a good deed by giving him food, think about the possible dangers involved. Don’t ever undermine his parents authority, just ask them if it’s okay first.
