I was raised without a shred of sweet food. My mother, in her desperate attempt to "keep us healthy" even created a cookie recipe that featured whole wheat, raisins and probably some leftover vegetable - a fibrous, and I will concede, tasty concoction, bless her heart. We even had wheat pancakes and waffles.
The coveted Oreos, Doritos, Fritos, candy, and other delectibles were spirited away under lock and key where they could be doled out in sparse quantities ...once every 3-4 years. Alright, I am a bit of a drama queen. But I didn't have a sip of Coke until I was about 12, and sipping a real live Coke now rivets me back right to that very moment when the delicious liquid passed over my waiting lips.
My daughter doesn't have this particular experience. She knows that when she wants a "really good snack", she just has to wait for her daddy to come home and then she toddles herself over to the fridge in the basement, where she opens the door to a child's heaven. There is an economy sized box of both Butterfinger and Reese's, not to mention a case of Sprite - these things purchased because they might make the SP happy. No, not by me...alright, I did purchase the Sprite, I think.
I have a snack box full of healthy snacks that is available at nearly any time of day that can be rummaged in, and is on a daily basis. It makes me feel wholesome to know my daughter is snacking on good foods like imitation fruit, cheese-"foods", and little fat deposits that look like orange fish. I'm a GOOD MOM!
I have two friends, on the other hand who have drawers or cupboards at child-height that are not locked. They are available at any time. The kids can get in there when they want and pull out whatever they want. I think they still have to ask. But these foods aren't all healthy. I've seen cookies and other yummy snacks - stuff kids love. Whenever SP is at these homes, true to form, she heads directly for the drawers/cupboards and pulls out something "we don't have at our house". But...I never see any of their kids digging in the drawers and believe me, I've spent time there enough to see! Now understand, I'm not critiquing their ways of doing things - on the contrary...I'm intrigued! I wish I could be that confidant and self-assured to know that being liberal will not induce corruption (oops, I just gave away my political views too).
So folks...are there theories out there about making it available vs. trying to keep partial control? I mean, in my house and theirs, I think asking is still a rule. So that's partial control. But I literally don't stock my snack bins with cookies and put that at kid's eye-level because I know what would happen - but then again, maybe it wouldn't. What's your take (haha if you got this far in this novel...)
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Kids and Snacks
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6 backward glances:
I don't have snacks within my kids reach. I will be happy to let them have snacks when they want, but not until they start eating real food at meal times. I swear, they fast after lunch every single day. And if I let them have access to a snack drawer it would be even less likely that they'd eat dinner.
you're right. there is always THAT issue.
Well, you know what I do. Abby has a little bowl with pretzels, goldfish, triscuits...stuff like that, but anything else is up out of her reach. If she wants candy, she has to ask, and then she doesn't necessarily get it. Still, she eats a good breakfast, and either a good lunch or a good dinner. She usually picks her way through one of them. But I don't panic, at least she's eating something and I try to make her snacks as healthy as possible (i.e. whole grain triscuits, whole wheat goldfish, whole wheat pretzels, etc). So I guess she has a little of both worlds.
Our "happy medium" is healthy snacks at kids level (fruit, cheese, yogurt in the fridge, healthier crackers in the snack cupboard), but they get a dessert after dinner (provided they eat the meal served and not "alternative dinner"). And we buy treats (like Oreos and ice cream and chocolate; soda is for when they're sick or when we eat out) that they do want. They only get a little bit, one serving. I've found that by allowing them to have this little treat once a day, they don't binge when we do have it, and they also don't binge when it's offered at other times. (Works for me, too.)
***warning, usual novel below.*** ;)
well of course i have to comment, even tho i dont have kids! ;) from my view, being a parent of either "wing" might just produce a kid who ends up being the opposite. hehe! and neither is good--life's about balance and kids should learn that in all areas--including diet and health. i have ideals in my head about how i'd want to raise my kids food-wise...but ya know, it cant be as easy as that!
i think when they are really young its most important they eat the healthiest. that's when they are growing and developing--including behavior as well, which IMHO food affects a child's behavior almost more than anything. and that then will effect how they do in school. this age is probably when you have the most control, too, so its a good time to get them to like the taste of real food instead of processed stuff.
then once they get older, i think what ellen said seems reasonable. they're gonna go to their friend's houses and they dont wanna look like a total outcast! but i've known parents, who SOMEhow, have trained their kids in such a way that the kids just dont really want junk, but arent geeky about it and no one thinks anything of it. i really wanna take notes from them! LOL!
maybe someday when i'm a mom my views will change. but as i go thru my own health struggles, i realize how important it is to learn to eat real, good, nutritious food at a young age and have parents who model that. cause we wanna be around as long as possible for the kids, right? :)
Great post and thanks for sharing....
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