"Gate-keeper" or guide to a wonderful world?
What do you think about referring to mothers as "gate-keepers" in terms of feeding their families? It's a term often used, as in this headline, "Empowering the Food Gate-keepers Will Go A Long Way To Solving The Overweight Epidemic."I see primarily negative imagery—a linebacker, a goalie, a guard at a castle gate. You "lose" if you let a cookie or an "entertainment" or "red-light" food slip by. It presumes children are not capable and must be protected from the dangers of food.Now, I know that moms mostly decide what foods are served, and this is an issue of semantics on some level, but words matter. How we think about food matters. Will it be an enemy to be wary of, or a joyful part of a well-lived life?How about we talk about parents as guides—as having responsibilities of buying, preparing, and enjoying foods with their children. An image perhaps more of a mother sitting at a table conversing pleasantly while the children eat. Perhaps a Mama Bear, showing her children where the berry patch is, or modeling how to catch a salmon. The baby bear is nearby, watches, tries it out, maybe mama bear brings a still-live salmon to shallower water so her cub can learn with increasingly difficult tasks...Instead of keeping things out, as "gate-keeper" implies, the parent or mother is seen as passing on food traditions, teaching children about a wonderful variety of foods.That's my ideal vision anyway. I'd rather imagine myself as a smiling companion as I pass on our family recipes and a love of food and family meals than a "gate-keeper."What images and words can you come up with instead of "gate-keeper?" Do you think it matters?