"Mostly lighthearted but kernel of truth?"

A mum has told how her friend told her she is "starving" her son after they found out what he brought for lunch. The woman turned to Mumsnet for advice after the conversation, recalling what her son would eat in a typical day. She began the post by explaining that her friend brought up the topic of her 6-yeear-old son's meal at holiday camp - and that it was not enough. She continued:

"Didn't know how but got on to the packed lunch I did for DS, who is 6, today for a holiday camp. "Apparently it's not enough, no wonder he is skinny and I am starving him (mostly lighthearted but kernel of truth?) "He had porridge for breakfast with a cup of milk, semi skimmed. I have given him an apple for morning snack, a ham and cucumber sandwich on seedy bread for lunch with a yoghurt, and a small bag of hula hoops for afternoon snack. "He will have cottage pie with veg for dinner and a tangerine for afters, possibly a bit of Easter egg with a cup of milk just before bed."

She went on to explain that the Hula Hoops are "a bit of an anomaly" as they are re remodelling their kitchen, before adding:

"But this IS a reasonable amount of food for a 6 year old? "He's very sporty and slim but I don't think I need to feed him any more? He rarely complains of hunger and if he does is directed to fruit bowl or slice of toast with peanut butter etc."

Many commenters urged her to ignore her "judgemental" friend, assuring her that it was fine for her son. One person wrote:

"Totally fine. "Imo [In my opinion] little children are so used to snacking that some adults think they need fed every hour on the hour."

Another said:

"My 10 year old eats about that much most days. Sounds fine to me. You know your child best."

Others said that it was too little for her son to eat,, and that she should change things up. A different person commented:

"Sounds utterly unremarkable to me. Mine would be perfectly satisfied with that."

Someone else added:

"If I were on an extreme diet, that sounds fine. For a presumably active 6 year old, I think he needs more."