£1 a day

We're taking the challenge of living below the extreme poverty line, spending just £1 a day, to raise money for charity, but also to experience it and enhance our compassion. People all over the world have less than £1 a day to live on, which has to provide food, shelter and utilities. We have so much provided for us, but we are going to eat for just £1 a day. The challenge doesn't begin until May 2012, but you can read about last years experience here.

Mother's instinct

Friday 6 May 2011

My mothering skills have been put to the test during live below the line, but never more so than last night.

I was having my standard plain jacket potato with salt and pepper and Will wouldn't stop asking for some, despite having just eaten a red pepper, cheese, spaghetti in tomato sauce, two oranges and a kiwi. I gave him a few bites, but on the fourth forkful I started to complain. Matt told him he could have a bite from his (identical) potato, but no; he only wanted mine.

I put my foot down and said no. He crumpled on the floor in a whinging heap.

The thing is, in this situation I felt quite justified. I only had a measured amount of food and I knew he wasn't starving. He could eat anything else in the house. But there are plenty of families all over the world where parents choose not to eat so that their children can.


As I was pondering this Matt announced that he was going to fast today, and that I should eat the extra food (I did lie on the floor during breakfast - not being dramatic, I was just really dizzy; it's hormonal and not hunger related, though I doubt this is helping). He would gladly fore go a days food for his sickly looking wife.

Now I feel like a really bad mum.

I'm not going to take the extra food (although Matt is still going to fast) mostly because I feel like it would be cheating my sponsors.

Besides, I'm planning a midnight feast, and I won't enjoy it nearly as much if I've eaten more during the day...


1 comments:

Unknown said...

Wow. When you first started I thought that it would be a bit interesting and sobering to see what it's like to live on a little, but that's something I hadn't thought of. Imagine if the whole family was doing it and Will had been hungry.

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