The Worst Parenting Trends of the 20th Century

9. “Clean your plate.”

“There are starving children in Africa.” If you ever heard this line from your parents or your grandparents, you know all about guilt trips at the dinner table. There was a time when children had to eat everything they were served, whether they liked it or not. Not finishing good food was seen as almost unforgivably wasteful. But now that childhood obesity rates are rising worldwide, forcing kids to finish every bite does more harm than good. It encourages unhealthy eating habits by training kids to disregard their hunger signals and eat when they’re not hungry.