my body, my say — the snack truce 🥕🧁

🍏what if food rules didn’t feel so tricky?
 meet christos and nate — co-created in therapy with a particular brave spark, here to help kids feel safe, seen, and respected at snack time.

📘 this story supports food autonomy, body trust, and inclusive mealtimes — through the ups, downs, and everything in between.

🎧 includes:
 – a playful therapeutic story
 – reflection questions to explore together
 – calming ideas for home, school, or therapy

🎙️ part of brave sparks — co-created in therapy, shaped by children’s voices, strengths, and needs ✨

🎧 sound credits:
 ✍️ written by: trust children and the kids we support (with a sprinkle of ai magic)
 🎙️ voice: the brave sparks team
 🎛️ sound mixing: brave sparks team

🎶 music:
 🍾 champagne dream synth by apple — garageband loop
 🕹️ arcade dreams sweet pad by apple — garageband loop
 🎓 academy all by apple — garageband loop

🔊 sound effects include:
 🥕 cracker by D4XX — https://freesound.org/s/541365 — cc0
🤢 puke/vomiting by Joao_de_Deus — https://freesound.org/s/330533 — attribution 4.0
💦 vomit splat by SpliceSound — https://freesound.org/s/338116 — cc0
🌀 groaning gurgle by SoundsExciting — https://freesound.org/s/204362 — cc0
💡 idea ding by Saya13 — https://freesound.org/s/407258 — cc0
🎉 oh yeah (vocal one shot) by Duisterwho — https://freesound.org/s/644087 — cc0
✨ unforgettable moments by universfield — https://freesound.org/s/698550 — attribution 4.0

🌀 part of the brave sparks podcast — co-created in therapy, shaped by the voice, needs, and strengths of neurodivergent children. 🌟

🎧 co-created in therapy — inspired by your child’s voice, strengths, and needs.

🎙️ voice: children who helped shape the episode with simone mossop
 🎛️ sound design: brave sparks team
 🎵 intro/outro music: serene acoustic guitar melodies by lolamoore — https://freesound.org/s/768424 — attribution 4.0

✨ explore more spark stories or learn about our therapy approach: trustchildren.au/bravesparks

Transcript

🎧 episode transcript: the snack truce

christos and nate were great mates — and they both had strong feelings about snacks.
 especially the strict rules around fruit break.

every morning, their teacher — miss tutti-fruitti — would scan the classroom with her famously sharp snack-spotting eyes.
 “fruit only,” she’d declare. “no yoghurt. no crackers. and definitely no banana muffins. fruit means fruit.”

nate leaned over to christos and whispered,
 “but my mum’s homemade yoghurt helps my brain think!”

christos sighed.
 “i brought carrot sticks once. she said they were ‘not fruit’. but they crunch! and they’re orange!”

nate looked down at his snack container.
 “sometimes i just want something plain. that’s what feels right in my body.”

“what even is healthy anyway?” christos asked.
 “my mum says all food can be fuel — no rules.”

but miss tutti-fruitti just stood tall and said,
 “fruit only, thank you. this is a classroom fuelled by fruit.”

nate muttered under his breath,
 “it doesn’t feel much like an all tastebuds welcome zone.”

later that day, christos and nate sat together on the buddy bench, thinking things through.

“i get that teachers want things to be fair,” said christos.
 “but fair isn’t the same as equal.”

nate nodded.
 “especially when it comes to food. my body doesn’t always like fruit. and sometimes i feel sick if i try to force it.”

suddenly, christos had an idea.
 “what if... we made a wall where everyone could share their favourite snack — something that helps them feel focused, calm, or ready to learn?”

“yes!” nate grinned.
 “and it’s not about ‘good’ or ‘bad’ — it’s just about what works for you.”

“we could call it... the snack truce.”

“no snack shaming,” said christos.
 “snack choice = body respect,” said nate.

the next morning, christos and nate raised their hands during class meeting.

“we made something,” said nate, holding up a big, bright poster covered in snack drawings — crackers, apples, banana muffins, carrot sticks, yoghurt, even a couple of mystery blobs that looked suspiciously like leftover birthday cake.

“we think snack time should be about listening to our bodies,” christos explained.
 “some kids like fruit. some kids don’t. some kids only eat beige foods. and that’s okay.”

miss tutti-fruitti blinked.
 “so what exactly are you proposing here, boys?”

“a snack truce,” nate said proudly.
 “we still have snack time — but kids choose what they need. we don’t make rules about food being good or bad. just kind to your body, and kind to each other.”

that day, something shifted.

no one said anything when ellie brought crackers.
 no one whispered when isaac had no snack at all.
 and christos? he crunched his carrot sticks proudly.

“they might not be fruit,” he said with a grin,
 “but they work for me!”

💛 note for grown-ups

this episode gently draws on the principles of responsive feeding — a respectful, neurodiversity-affirming approach that supports children in tuning into their internal cues and making food choices that feel right for them.

in therapy, we talk about connection in two ways:
 – connection to body signals like hunger, fullness, and energy
 – connection to others, because eating is a shared and social experience

many children — especially neurodivergent kids — experience food through a sensory, emotional, or experiential lens, shaped by past experiences. when food rules are rigid or shaming, they can undermine a child’s confidence and self-trust.

this episode avoids food labels like “healthy” or “unhealthy” and instead encourages language that focuses on how food feels:
– does it help you feel focused?
– full?
– calm?
– safe?

✨ if you need support empowering your child or family with neurodiversity-affirming feeding strategies, please reach out to the trust children team or check out our list of trusted professionals in the show notes.

because the right support can go a long way — and every family deserves to feel safe and supported at mealtimes.