Why do people always want to give kids candy?!?!

utes09

Another thing that bothers me are parents letting their kids ( like 4 years and younger) have soda. That's one thing my kids (when I have them) won't get....I don't drink soda, haven't for years. Candy will be given sparingly as well since I now view it as "Do I NEED that candy? Or will I be alright without it?"

I do allow for special occasions and have cake, etc. It's all about how you choose to raise your kids I guess.

starboardzor

I ate candy as a kid, mostly on holidays. But my mom also didn't alow soda in the house or junk food cereal. And instead of fruit rolls up in my lunch like all the other kids, I'd have applesauce. If we ate out we had two choices, we could have soda with our meal OR we could have dessert. Not both. I was also very active. So I wouldn't say candy is BAD. I would say teaching moderation early on is more important.

monkeybelle83

My husband and I are giving up soda now, before we have kids. We think it will be easier to say no to them when we aren't drinking it either.

TS65

I hear where you're coming from. My father gave my son a coke when he was 2. REALLY?!?!? I was soooo mad! Up to that point all he had ever tasted was milk and watered down juice. grrrrr

I do want to say that I also agree with previous posters. I was raised in a house where we NEVER had candy. As such, whenever I was around it, I would gorge because I never knew when I would have it again. (I even remember thinking... as an adult... I should eat all of it because they might stop making it tomorrow - CRAZY!!!) I don't want him to grow up with the food issues I have. So, I've made an effort to have sweets available for my son if he wants some for dessert - the difference is he normally is only allowed 1/2 (Little Debbie packaging is a good example - 1/2 a brownie, 1/2 a nutty bar, etc.). It's funny, now, when we're at a birthday party or somewhere there is candy, he'll come up with a TINY piece of candy and ask if he can have half. :laugh: To remove the temptation from me, I tend to buy sweet stuff I don't care for.

RoniDoll

Maybe you could try looking at this from a different angle.

You yourself said that you don't mean for your children to *never* have candy. Now that some has appeared, you have a great opportunity to reinforce when, if and what servings are appropriate. You have the chance to actively teach your children how to manage junk food that they absolutely will encounter in their lives.

I understand the temptation to just shield them from the whole idea of candy, but that's not realistic. It's better, I think, to teach them how to manage these situations rather than leave them without tools for the times when they will be given candy.

I agree! Also, If you nere of hardly ever give them candy, when the get older they may binge on sweets

ahanson6

I don't think it's fair to put all the blame on candy. I ate a TON of candy as a child, and I was never overweight until adulthood and tons of medications. Kids spend most of their time sitting on their rumps now, either in front of a computer, or in front of the television.

I agree. I think candy is just like everything else. It's fine in moderation. The biggest cause of kids being over weight is a combination of crappy food and NO exercise. You probably shouldn't be feeding your kid a King size snickers bar everyday, but you also shouldn't be feeding them fast food 5 days a week, and you shouldn't let them sit for hours watching TV or messing around on the computer. What works for adults will work for kids too. Let them have a treat every now and then, but give them a balanced diet and kick them out of the house to go play.

FitFrenchGirl

:flowerforyou: Okay I work at a bank and kids only come inside for candy. but most of the time I ask the parent before I hand them the candy jar...but i mean there kids....I ate candy all my life no rotten teeth,,,and im not over weight and my parents are not overweight too....



ps. have you ever watched willy wonka movie....where his dad was always taking candy away...and than when he got older he started sneaking around eatting all the candy he can get his hands on... : ( i dont think you should be that mad.....kids need to learn right from wrong....ya know..idk..just my thoughts

PlanetVelma

If you don't want them having it, then you did the right thing and took it away. As parents, WE are the only ones responsible for what our children eat.

Exactly! I'm not one to restrict my kids from candy/ice cream - it's all in moderation. I had a friend in school who was not allowed ANY candy/ice cream/etc...when she went to college she went crazy and ate every type of candy, ice cream, ate at every fast food place - because she wasn't given the tools to make healthy decisions, she just went nuts.

So I do allow my kids to have candy or ice cream on occasion. Leftover candy gets donated. If it's halloween I donate to a group that ships stuff to the soldiers overseas. For easter, i'll probably leave some in the break room @ work and freeze a bit so we have a treat when we have "movie nite" @ home.

I am a serial diet coke drinker (which i'm working on....) but my son - he has a soda maybe once a month, he mostly drinks water. My daughter would rather have milk most times.

knittygirl52

Yay--no, people don't think.

My son thought whole wheat crackers were cookies until he was 3. Then I went back to work evenings, and my next door neighbor watched him for ONE hour three times a week until my husband got home to make him dinner. Seriously, it was from 4:30 p.m. until 5:30 p.m. Nearly every day he came home with a new "best food ever." Fortunately, by that time he had been under our thumbs for 3 years! To this day (he's now 31) he is the guy who will eat any vegetable, any fish (including sushi), and when he was in the throws of a divorce and had virtually no money, he was living on canned vegetables (where most of us would go for the Ramen noodles!). My daughter, who is 4 years younger, was born when my father (the original junk-food-junkie) lived with us. On top of that, he was sick and we spent a lot of time racing from doctor to doctor, so instead of home-made baby food, she got jars. I don't know whether that is the reason, or if there is something else, but she is the one who is fussy about vegetables and won't eat fish, and has more of a weight problem.


Stick to your guns!

That_Girl

When I give treats at my daughter's preschool (she's 2 too) I use fruit snacks and animal crackers. It's not meant to be eaten all at the same time, just like when she gets a bag of treats, she gets one a day...if that. Usually the novelty wears off in a couple days and I throw the rest out.

And cavities are up in the air. I ate candy and sweets and never have had a cavity. My kids have never had cavities. My sister took better care of her teeth than I did when we were young and her mouth is FULL of fillings It depends on the strength of the enamel and then brushing techniques.

But maybe if you tell the preschool you don't like people giving your child treats, then they won't waste the bag of goodies on you. Just a thought. You are still the mom, you still make the rules.

greeneyed84

I try not to give me kids much candy. They're both thin and very active so 1 treat a day i think is ok. Every time we go to a bday party they get a ton of candy.... over xmas and v-day we had soooo much, my hubby ate about 1/4 of it and i threw most of it out, my kids only had a few each. At bday parties they have pinatas filled with candy.... egh, not a fan. I do not have them at our parties and when i make treat bags it's small toys, sticker, etc, not candy.

People don't see the damage too much sugar does.

Heatherbelle_87

not to mention the rotted teeth. I am amazed at how many parents i see today letting their kids survive on poptarts and soda.

As a Dental Assistant I can tell you the Sugar isnt what rots your teeth, not properly ceaning the sugar off is what rots your teeth.

You have natural living bacteria on your teeth, yes Cariogenic foods (easy to digest sugars) is what this bacteria eats, and when it eats it it poos out acid which eats away your enamel BUT "healthy" raising, fruits, veggies, crackers all have cariogenic properties.

So you can certaintly eat or drink it if you are working off the calories you are ingesting (for kids PLAYING!) AND properly brushing your (or your childs) teeth. Most children ARE NOT capable or properly brushing their teeth until 7 years old which means *gasp!* YOU should be brushing your 6 year olds teeth after letting them do it!

TripleJ3

I let my kids have candy and they still manage to be healthy and thin. I don't make a big deal about sweets. My kids don't eat them for dinner or as a snack.....its a treat. I've heard a lot of adults say that sweets/junk were very restricted when they were young that when they left home its all they ate.

My kids eat half a cookie and have no problem leaving the rest in the garbage. They take two bites of cake then run off to play. I even take them trick or treating every year! They get candy in their stockings and Easter baskets. Most of it gets thrown in the trash because they barely eat any of it because they know its something that they can have, its not taboo or forbidden.

I know someone who brags about the Easter bunny leaving grapes & strawberries in their plastic eggs. Great except in my house those are everyday foods, not special treats. Her childern are obese and whenever are around candy/junk they eat it all. I mean bags and bags. No 5 year old needs to be wearing a teenagers size 14, a 9 year old wearing a size 18.

People giving your kids junk will never stop. Junk food will always be available to them. Instead of hoping the world will change for you, give your childern the tools to live in the world and make great choices.

mfiggs

It's a treat. Easter, Halloween, Christmas, Valentine's Day...have I missed one. That's only 4 times they're getting it from others. The rest of the time it's the parents. Just saying.

I totally agree here. My daughter eats candy very rarely and soda is almost never. But, on holidays when candy is around or given I let her have it in moderation. She is 4 and she needs my guidance to show her what and how much is acceptable. I am overweight, have been my whole life, but candy didn't do it to me, eating to much of everything did it to me and I think it is kind of cruel to never let your children have a treat! Deprive them like that now and they will go crazy when they are old enough to make their own choices and you end up with overweight adults.

craft338

im a head teacher at an after school program, and i give the kids candy very rarely. we give them healthy snacks like fruit, whole grains, anything with low sugar, and we're even trying to get into organic snacks too we used to use candy as rewards for certain games or good behavior, but now we use a prize box that we fill with little toys from the dollar store, and i even stuck a few sponge bob pedometers in there too lol. but we do have candy or sweets especially around the holiday when we do themed projects, like gingerbread houses or easter egg hunts. i do have a budget when it comes to shopping for the center, so sometimes things that involve candy are cheaper and feed more kids than the healthier options.

there are a few parents who tell me that they don't want their kids to have sweets or unhealthy food, which i'm totally ok with. if i'm not sure, and we are doing something with candy (like on valentine's day, someone donated a HUGE box of chocolates to us that we gave to the kids) i usually let the kids take it when their parents pick them up and with their parents permission.

keep doing what your doing, but keep in mind that TOO MUCH restriction could lead to kids sneaking food. i see a lot of kids trying to trade their healthy snacks with other kids sugary snacks. so, keep that in mind too but good job with being aware of what your kids are eating. some of the stuff these kids are sent in with totally shocks me!!

monkeybelle83

It is a control issue as well. When you tell your child they CANNOT have something, and make a big deal of it, then they want it even more. I have 2 nieces and 3 nephews, none of which are overweight, none of which are denied candy. It is just portioned out. They don't gorge themselves on it because they know they can have it if they finish their dinner, do their chores, etc. Making it taboo makes it more desirable.

mamabear0222

Im not saying I dont want them to ever have it. But they are 2 yrs old, not school aged even.
I made all their babyfood homemade and control what they do/dont eat as well as prepare all their meals.

My main frustration is why is it assumed that all kids should be given candy?
Im not saying candy alone will make them overweight but it's not something I feel they need at 2 yrs old.

Even at the doctors office they want to hand out lollipops. Why does FOOD have to be a reward?
I just think it starts young children down the wrong path ...

mommared53

I don't think it's fair to put all the blame on candy. I ate a TON of candy as a child, and I was never overweight until adulthood and tons of medications. Kids spend most of their time sitting on their rumps now, either in front of a computer, or in front of the television.

I completely agree.

TS65

not to mention the rotted teeth. I am amazed at how many parents i see today letting their kids survive on poptarts and soda.

As a Dental Assistant I can tell you the Sugar isnt what rots your teeth, not properly ceaning the sugar off is what rots your teeth.

You have natural living bacteria on your teeth, yes Cariogenic foods (easy to digest sugars) is what this bacteria eats, and when it eats it it poos out acid which eats away your enamel BUT "healthy" raising, fruits, veggies, crackers all have cariogenic properties.

So you can certaintly eat or drink it if you are working off the calories you are ingesting (for kids PLAYING!) AND properly brushing your (or your childs) teeth. Most children ARE NOT capable or properly brushing their teeth until 7 years old which means *gasp!* YOU should be brushing your 6 year olds teeth after letting them do it!

Whew! I was thinking I was being "crazed parent" insisting I brush my sons teeth until just recently. He's 7!

taiyola

What I detest is parents I know who's children live off crap. Nuggets and chips, pizza, burgers, McDonalds, crisps, chocolates... and this is all before they are of school age!

If you can't be bothered to spend the time making your kid a meal, and hand it a packet of biscuits instead, you shouldn't have children.

My cousin has 3 kids of 10, 7 and 4 months, and the oldest one is overweight. Before dinner (that consists of pizza and beans or something) he goes reaching in to the cupboard and will eat 2 chocolate bars. This a regular thing. I think this is child abuse, to let your child be unhealthy like this. At school he no doubt gets bullied for his size, and who's fault is it? His parents.