Memoirs of a Saudi Ph.D. student: Kids will be kids

This is the fifth year in a row that I am spending the holy month of Ramadan in the United Kingdom. Perhaps this would be the last year as well, as I am well into the final stages of my Ph.D. studies. There is still work left but if everything goes as planned, I would be in the Kingdom next year to spend Ramadan in the traditional manner.
Needless to say, fasting here in this part of the world is a huge challenge. This year we will be witnessing 21st of June — the longest day of the year — in Ramadan. The fasting time here spans over 20 hours. Over time, days get shorter but not as compared to other parts of the world.
As a mother, I am trying my best to encourage my sons to start fasting without exposing them to any harm. My nine-year-old decided to eat at school and then continued with the fast. His elder brother, 12, however, decided to fast for the whole day without any problem.
He has many Muslim friends in his class due to which he got more encouragement to continue with fasting. By doing so, he felt being part of a community. They could all stay together while others enjoy lunch or snacks. As usual, their whining never stops.
At the beginning of Ramadan we sat together and I told them that patience is inseparable from fasting. If they continue to whine and complain about fasting then they have the choice not to fast at all. This strategy worked with my 12 year old, and instead of whining he decided to indulge in ordering food. He asked for all of his favorite Ramadan food to be cooked and he was totally convinced that he would consume enormous amount of food at the time of breaking the fast. Of course, he miserably failed at accomplishing this feat. In fact, after a few minutes he started feeling bloated and he got angry with himself.
My younger son has the habit of whining for no reason whatsoever. Despite the fact that he eats in school during Ramadan, he keeps nagging me as if he is the only person in the family fasting during this month. The way he eats date and drink a glass of water at the time of breaking fast, one would feel that the poor chap had braved a long day of fasting at such a tender age with so much devotion.