No one prepared me for this part of parenting. The diapers, teething, rashes, terrible twos, and potty training were covered in the books and blogs. This wasn’t.

This ‘thing’ that I’m referring to is the ASSCS. Oh, you didn’t know about it either? It’s the “after-school-starving-child-syndrome”. Its side effects include:

• The child’s smile on the sidewalk at school towards the teachers suddenly disappears once inside the parked vehicle of the mom.
• Quick and snippy questions are asked without respectful manners.
• Viciously asking what fun will be had the moment the car departs school.
• Loud demands for food are followed by tears.
• Ravenous wails of barking orders that the driver must stop for a snack.

ASSCS not only affects the child, but all participants trapped within the car as well. Its only treatment is safely pulling the moving vehicle over in a safe space off the road, removing the starving child from the carseat, and taking proper course correction. (Physical contact may be used at the parent’s own discretion.)

The side effects mentioned above showed up this week in one of my children (her identity will be protected by using another name, Sharlet.)

“I NEED candy. I HAVE to have it. I’m going to DIE if I don’t get it”, cried Sharlet in the back seat. It didn’t matter to her that I was taking them to Bravo for an authentic Latin meal with made with real food.

“I NEED something sweet. I NEED IT NOW!”

Knowing better than Sharlet who was suffering from ASSCS, (which is totally made up if you haven’t figured that out yet), I told her she wasn’t going to die if she didn’t get candy. I also knew that something sweet wasn’t going to solve her problem. Her problem was that she was tired from a full day of school. She needed a quick fix to remedy her exhaustion and satisfying her craving was her solution.

I can’t blame her though, she is only 7-years-old. How is she expected to successfully evaluate the “hunger” she was having, properly asses that it was an emotional hunger, back track the reason she was feeling that way, and then take a different course of action? Adults struggle with the exact same issue!

I know because I’ve dealt with emotional eating.

Let me introduce you to 20-year-old Paige who struggled with emotional eating in college.  If you happened to read my blog post or listen to my podcast last week about enduring weekly weigh-ins on my cheer team, then you can connect the dots.  Transitioning from high school, where my friend circle was strong, to college where I couldn’t find my crowd led to a lot of loneliness.  Not knowing how to process and handle these feelings led to being alone in my dorm eating a lot of food to keep me company while others were out at the bars.  

I certainly wish I had the tools then that I have now to properly handle my emotions.  That’s why I created this YouTube video for others to learn how to differentiate their hunger between physical and emotional, plus to know what to do next. You can watch it now!

If my story sounds similar to yours or someone you know experiencing this same problem, you can hear the entire backstory on my podcast and what EXACTLY set me free from the cycle of overeating even when I wasn’t hungry.

There are so many resources to help you find freedom in your journey. I’ll leave you with one recommendation, and that is to read the book “Made to Crave” by Lysa Terkeurst.

Has food become more about frustration than fulfillment? Made to Crave is the missing link between a woman’s desire to be healthy and the spiritual empowerment necessary to make that happen. Author Lysa TerKeurst personally understands the battle that women face. In Made to Crave, she will help you:Break the cycle of “I’ll start again on Monday,” and feel good about yourself today.

Stop agonizing over numbers on the scale and make peace with your body.
Replace rationalization that leads to diet failure with wisdom that leads to victory.
Reach your healthy goals and grow closer to God through the process.

This book is not a how-to manual or the latest, greatest dieting plan. Made to Crave is a helpful companion to use alongside whatever healthy eating approach you choose — a book and Bible study to help you find the “want to” in how to make healthy lifestyle changes.

May you truly be satisfied with what never leaves your soul hungry.