Morning After
Cute picture or sign of a more serious problem? (photographer unknown)
So it’s not even the “Morning After” Easter and I’m already disgusted by how much candy was bestowed upon my children this past week.
Some thing is terribly wrong with the large amounts of chocolate, caramels, marshmallowy, etc sweet junk we are allowing our children to have. But it’s a special occasion you say. Nonsense! If you try hard enough, a special occasion can happen every month. And with the amounts of candy our children are being given at each occasion there is more than enough to have a piece a day. My boys are 21 months, 4 years-old, and 5 1/2 years-old. I am of the mindset when I still haven’t decided at what age candy on a regular basis or large volumes of candy on a holiday becomes okay. Is it ever okay? Am I alone in my thinking?
Up until now, it wasn’t too much of an issue. This year, though, my two oldest are in preschool, a 3 year-old and a 4 year-old class. The amount of candy they have dome home with after every party is atrocious. When parents are asked to contribute 1 favor or 1 piece of candy, they contribute bags. Really???? Do our children need this much sugar in their preschool years, if ever? My 5 year-old’s bag was so heavy with candy the handle broke. Really???
I hang my head, sigh, and ask WHY? Why are we so willing to throw so much candy at our children? Is it out of convenience? Affordability? Laziness? Ignorance? Do we truly not understand the consequences?
I would rather my child come home with nothing than come home with one more bag of candy and the baggage that comes with it: obesity, poor eating habits, dental issues, parent and child fights over having the candy. And I only envision this getting worse as my children get older. Why should I have to be the bad/mean mom because of others’ poor decisions?
Moms, dads, grandparents, teachers; I beg of you; before one more holiday or school party comes along please consider these non-candy alternatives for favors and treats:
- Stickers
- Bubbles
- Temporary tattoos
- Play-Doh
- Bouncy balls
- Cool erasers
- Funky pencils and pens
- Silly Straws
- Pocket-sized games
- Whistles
- Bookmarks
- Shrink-wrapped cartoon-designed washcloths (I’ve seen them at Dollar Stores.)
- Oriental Trading has all sorts of items as well.
- $1 items from A.C. Moore, Michael’s, Jo Ann’s, and various dollar stores
- Fruit
- snack-sized bags of pretzels, fruit chews, dried fruit, cheerios, Kix, bite-size cereal, and popcorn
Take some time to think, put forth a bit more effort, and you can come up with great ideas that will mean more to the kids than another lollipop or piece of candy. Their bodies will thank you and this mom here will be especially grateful that you’ve chosen to make a healthier choice for her children and others.
Jenn
(In full disclosure, I am the first one to say I have a very BIG sweet tooth. I am trying desperately not to pass on this vice to my children.)
I totally agree – It boggles my mind that in this day and age with all we know about obesity and good health we continue to do this to our kids – schools are the some of the worst culprits. I have worked in many schools where teachers give candy as a reward for good behavior or good work. What on earth is this teaching our children? Good for you for being a mean mom. I am a mean mom and my daughter is used to it. I am lucky that she is happy to exchange candy for a book or something else – I try to keep little desirable gifts or snacks handy for exchange.
We generally avoid sweets, although our 2-year-old son does drink watered-down juice as well as milk (and he loves fruit, especially berries and bananas, which are of course naturally sweet). I think the biggest issue is sugar withOUT any nutritional value — especially candy. Sugar is a drug. We should treat it as such.
Our son had never had candy … until yesterday, at church of all places! He was in the great childcare they provide during service, and they’d planned an Easter-egg hunt, which was fun for everyone, but the reward was jellybeans, and when we came to pick him up, he looked slightly, there’s no other word for it, high.
Needless to say, no more sugar for our little boy for a good long time!
Nina
http://www.ParentHandbook.com
We’re one of the more strict families I know about sweets. Our children (6 & 2) get them in moderation.(and none the first year of life). It has never bothered me when they recieve tons of candy for holidays. Our children were also overloaded this weekend, but I think they only ate one reeses cup a peice. We keep all candies out of sight and they only get what we allow them to have. The world is full of unhealthy “temptation”. We take holidays as a chance to teach self control and moderation.
Amen sister!! You are not the only one! I’m with you. It is a constant discussion I bring up! Easter party at preschool last wk included rice krispy treats AND peeps. When I walked in and saw the peeps I gave the teacher a look. She knew & had not allowed my son to have that junk! She knows how I feel & is cautious w/ it around my kiddo. On st patricks day they were given green Hawaiian punch & pudding in which they ADDED grn Food coloring. I was assisting n the classroom that day & did not allow my kid to have ANY of that JUNK! I suggested teaching the kids about natural green foods like avocados etc & she liked the idea!
I am hoping that Jamie Oliver will wake Americans up with his new show, Food Revolution.
Thanks for writing this article. Ps on our Easter egg hunt I hid 180 eggs of which no candy was included. The following day we attended one where the eggs were FILLED w/ candy. We went home w/ gal bags of candy. No joke. Btw, the kids had a lot more fun w/ the trinkets at our hunt rather than the candy.
Thanks again!
Amen! I was mopping my floor at 9 pm last night due to this very issue. YUCK!
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