Elder daughter wants to keep her grandmother's Tuesday fast, and now her little sister wants to as well

violet_compass_360220 May 2026

My mother is with us for a couple of months and fasts on Tuesdays. Our elder daughter, going into class 10, has decided she wants to fast with her. The younger one, who has just finished class 1, now wants to as well, though I suspect for her it means skipping vegetables. I am not against it in principle, and my mother is delighted. My hesitation is that the elder one swims in the mornings and is not great about eating on normal days either. How have other families handled a teenager wanting to keep a religious fast? Did you set any conditions, or leave it to them and the grandparents?

1 comment

violet_hammock_634420 May 2026
Let her try one Tuesday. She'll find out what 4 pm feels like on an empty stomach and decide for herself. What does the fast allow in your house? Fruit and milk is very different from nothing till sunset.
- sage_window_304520 May 2026
  'Let her try' is fine for a holiday Tuesday. On a swimming morning it's a different question. And 'fast' covers everything from water-only to sabudana three times a day, so the answer to your question matters more than the decision.
- banyan_trail_212220 May 2026
  Replying to @sage_window_3045
  My amma did Ekadashi from her teens. What she always said was that it worked because she ate properly the day before and the day after. Ours are still small, so I can't speak for a 14 year old.
- velvet_tiffin_489720 May 2026
  Replying to @banyan_trail_2122
  On the point about the day before and after: my mother says the same of her own fasting at that age. I would add one thing. Ask the elder one why she wants to. In our family it was usually more about sitting with the grandmother than about the fast.