Why would you do that?!

OnWisconsin84

but fried chicken nuggets and fries in red boxes makes kids happy... there is even a smiley face on the box to prove it... infact... it says on tv... and tv doesnt lie... period... my heart just goes out to those parents.. it is hard to have self discipline.. even if you have no parenting discipline...

Very well put

maidentl

I am not going to apologize for my kids getting treats. Because as much as they love ice cream and chips, they also love string cheese, tuna, fruit, hummus, pickles, olives . . . I think if you make anything off limits it just becomes that much more appealing. But to each their own.

Chrissy2627

I am in no way suggesting that children diet. I am suggesting that they learn about healthy foods instead of eating the junk that most of us are trying to stop eating. Whether a parent is dieting or not, children don't need things such as soda. What I am talking about is instilling in them an understanding of what it means to be healthy. Treats now and then are fine and good, you want them to able to do "normal kid things" such as having a pizza party, or a piece of cake at a birthday party. My post is more related to people that make 2 meals, one for themselves and one for their children. If you are on a severely calorie restricted diet then it makes sense to give your children more calories, but the calories that they get can come from some healthier foods! How about celery and peanut butter, or yogurt, or string cheese? All things that a lot of kids like, but that also provide added nutrients for growing bodies. I totally think that kids should snack and that they should not be worrying about calories, but I think that if they learn good habits now they won't struggle as much when they are older.

Heather75

If I can make a bunch of kids fat, I will look slimmer in comparison. I'm that stranger who gives your kids candy.

baisleac

I am not going to apologize for my kids getting treats. Because as much as they love ice cream and chips, they also love string cheese, tuna, fruit, hummus, pickles, olives . . . I think if you make anything off limits it just becomes that much more appealing. But to each their own.

We're not saying "No treats, ever!", for anyone. Kids can have treats, adults can have treats, everyone can have treats... but they should be just treats, not every day food.

jpamplin28

I believe it's all about balance. Do my kids have "junk" food sometimes? Yes. But they also love lean meats, fruits, and veggies.

Diary_Queen

Oh gosh! I totally agree. I see women in the grocery store buy all their healthy stuff, just tiny bits of veggies and fruit and lean meats then fill up the rest of their cart with cupcakes and lunchables and sacks of bread and just plain ol crap! My family changed eating habits when I changed. I never did let my kids run wild with anything though. Now, I'm proud to say that recently a registered nurse/nutritionist stopped me in the grocery store to tell me how proud she was that my kids literally jumped up & down and squealed when I told them I'd make asparagus with dinner. My children love vegetables. They love exercise. They love me for trying so hard every single day to be a better, healthier mother.

AlyRoseNYC

There is a reason why we are facing a child obesity epidemic in our country. It is because parents are too lazy to get in the kitchen and cook their kids a healthy meal. NOT A DIET MEAL, a HEALTHY meal. Instead, you see the shelves empty when Chef Boyardee and Easy Mac are on sale. How satisfying would it be to have at least one microwaved meal everyday? How do you FEEL after eating junk food? Not too good huh? The poor food choices combined with the lack of physical activity (due to feeling like crap from the food choices) are a recipe for disaster, and we are all watching it happen to our children.

THAT being said, there is nothing wrong with a treat everyday, as long as the kid's only source of nutrition does not come from over salted, preservative filled crap in a can.

Hopefully MFP will still be around in 10-15 years when the kids get older.

tn2010

I think we are inherently lazy. Or at least predisposed to make the choice that requires the least amount of effort. And kids can WEAR. US. DOWN. Knowing this, I try to be patient with other parents. My wife and I both had the advantage of working many years in direct childcare, including an emergency shelter that was 24 hour care in a home environment - so lots of meals with kids. We had practice in firmly stating to the kids: this is dinner. You don't have to clean your plate, but you must *try* everything before getting seconds of anything else (or dessert). We gave them a variety of stuff. Sometimes they would be stubborn and refuse to eat anything. We weren't hard *kitten*. But were politely firm. "I understand you don't like anything on the plate. That is your choice to not eat anything. No, you cannot have dessert. I'm sorry." It will not kill a child to skip a meal.

Now that we have two girls of our own (7 and 9), we use the same principles. We are lucky in that we participate in a neighborhood food share - cook one night a week for four families (us + three other families), and deliver food to the other three families. Three nights a week, food is delivered to us. One of the families is vegan, so the whole dinnershare is. Our meals are generally pretty healthy, always tasty, and the kids are pretty good about trying new things.

I think my wife and I were lucky in that we learned THE SECRET before we had our own children: that short-term battle you just caved on can create a long-term war that is 100 times more difficult to fight. That's not to say we don't pick our battles. But let's face it: clear, consistent discipline requires more effort than the other extremes: totally lenient or a complete hard-*kitten*/say no to everything. The short-term hassle of patiently setting limits has a long-term benefit. And that hassle can be annoying as hell, especially after a long day, out at a restaurant when you just want to eat dinner. But it's worth it. It is an investment. There are no quick fixes.

Hmmm.. kinda sounds like changing my eating habits and lifestyle around healthier choices...

Love it! I have 2 kids and they know the rules, even at ages 2 and 4. I put a SMALL amount each of the foods in our meal on their plate. They can choose to eat it or not, but that's what's for dinner. If they want dessert, they have to eat it all, otherwise, they are free to be done, with the understanding that they won't eat again "until the sun comes up." No dinner time arguments, no wasted meals, no cooking additional meals. Easy peasy, as the kids say!

kennethmgreen

If I can make a bunch of kids fat, I will look slimmer in comparison. I'm that stranger who gives your kids candy.

I love this.

mrmanmeat

Okay so here is my rant for the day- All of us on here know that eating right and exercising are the healthy way of doing things. We all know that bad habits are hard to break. Nothing irritates me more than when I see someone on here with a similar post as this, "It's so hard for me to eat healthy when the kids are eating junk food all day. I just need to stay strong and not look at their treats!" Why, why, why are you teaching your kids the same bad habits that you are trying to break?! Even if they have started out with your old bad habits, help them break it now so they don't have to try to figure it out later in life when they start having healthy/weight problems!!! Okay, I'm done.

Because your average parent shouldn't be a parent. They're lazy, don't discipline like they should and give kids whatever they want. Also, junk foods are cheaper to buy.

KayakAngel

If I can make a bunch of kids fat, I will look slimmer in comparison. I'm that stranger who gives your kids candy.

:laugh: Pretty strangers have the best candy. :laugh:

RDH77

Agree but I also want my kids to have a healthy attitude towards food and that there aren't "bad foods". Our philosophy is moderation in everything.

This^

My kids still get ice cream for dessert or cookies (homebaked) now and then, but overall their choice of snacks during the day are fruit, cheese, yogurt, or crackers, and the occasional snack bag of pretzels. But sugary foods are treated as treats, not as everyday snacks so to speak...

MrsCon40

Okay so here is my rant for the day- All of us on here know that eating right and exercising are the healthy way of doing things. We all know that bad habits are hard to break. Nothing irritates me more than when I see someone on here with a similar post as this, "It's so hard for me to eat healthy when the kids are eating junk food all day. I just need to stay strong and not look at their treats!" Why, why, why are you teaching your kids the same bad habits that you are trying to break?! Even if they have started out with your old bad habits, help them break it now so they don't have to try to figure it out later in life when they start having healthy/weight problems!!! Okay, I'm done.

Because your average parent shouldn't be a parent. They're lazy, don't discipline like they should and give kids whatever they want. Also, junk foods are cheaper to buy.

:drinker:

minussam

No clue!
I realized that my son ate healthier than myself (was always super conscious about his diet). So I started to look after myself, too.
Treats are allowed in our family for all of us. But they are treats!

tladame

I agree. We keep most junk food out of the house because if it isn't there, we won't eat it. My daughter is 2 and luckily her favorite snacks are fruit and raisins. However, she does like the occasional cheese puffs (thanks to her auntie, LOL), so I get her some healthier ones from Whole Foods. Same with animal crackers & stuff like that. And we do have the occasional ice cream cone on weekends. But, for the most part, I try to feed her healthy foods. She isn't at that age yet where she begs to go to McDonald's...I don't plan on taking her there anyway!

KimmyEB

There is a reason why we are facing a child obesity epidemic in our country. It is because parents are too lazy to get in the kitchen and cook their kids a healthy meal. NOT A DIET MEAL, a HEALTHY meal. Instead, you see the shelves empty when Chef Boyardee and Easy Mac are on sale. How satisfying would it be to have at least one microwaved meal everyday? How do you FEEL after eating junk food? Not too good huh? The poor food choices combined with the lack of physical activity (due to feeling like crap from the food choices) are a recipe for disaster, and we are all watching it happen to our children.

THAT being said, there is nothing wrong with a treat everyday, as long as the kid's only source of nutrition does not come from over salted, preservative filled crap in a can.

Hopefully MFP will still be around in 10-15 years when the kids get older.

I agree 100% with this! Even if you're pressed for time, keep "easy" snacks around--fresh fruit, small portions of home-made meals that can be re-heated, home-made popsicles, etc.

What sickens me most is seeing parents buy fast food for their kids. I'm not planning on having kids, but I swore a long time ago that if I did, they would never be fed fast food from me.

FindingFit50s

I think we are inherently lazy. Or at least predisposed to make the choice that requires the least amount of effort. And kids can WEAR. US. DOWN. Knowing this, I try to be patient with other parents. My wife and I both had the advantage of working many years in direct childcare, including an emergency shelter that was 24 hour care in a home environment - so lots of meals with kids. We had practice in firmly stating to the kids: this is dinner. You don't have to clean your plate, but you must *try* everything before getting seconds of anything else (or dessert). We gave them a variety of stuff. Sometimes they would be stubborn and refuse to eat anything. We weren't hard *kitten*. But were politely firm. "I understand you don't like anything on the plate. That is your choice to not eat anything. No, you cannot have dessert. I'm sorry." It will not kill a child to skip a meal.

Now that we have two girls of our own (7 and 9), we use the same principles. We are lucky in that we participate in a neighborhood food share - cook one night a week for four families (us + three other families), and deliver food to the other three families. Three nights a week, food is delivered to us. One of the families is vegan, so the whole dinnershare is. Our meals are
generally pretty healthy, always tasty, and the kids are pretty good about trying new things.

I think my wife and I were lucky in that we learned THE SECRET before we had our own children: that short-term battle you just
caved on can create a long-term war that is 100 times more difficult to fight. That's not to say we don't pick our battles. But let's face it: clear, consistent discipline requires more effort than the other extremes: totally lenient or a complete hard-*kitten*/say no to
everything. The short-term hassle of patiently setting limits has a long-term benefit. And that hassle can be annoying as hell, especially after a long day, out at a restaurant when you just want to eat dinner. But it's worth it. It is an investment. There are no
quick fixes.

Hmmm.. kinda sounds like changing my eating habits and lifestyle around healthier choices...

Very sensible. Reality based. Doable. Wish I'd had that kind of parenting experience and plain common-sense intuition when my girls were children. I hope those whose children are still young will choose to listen to this kind of advice and choose to do what it takes to implement it. I promise you if I could go back in time, I would do things more line this. Thanks for your input.

FindingFit50s

I think we are inherently lazy. Or at least predisposed to make the choice that requires the least amount of effort. And kids can WEAR. US. DOWN. Knowing this, I try to be patient with other parents. My wife and I both had the advantage of working many years in direct childcare, including an emergency shelter that was 24 hour care in a home environment - so lots of meals with kids. We had practice in firmly stating to the kids: this is dinner. You don't have to clean your plate, but you must *try* everything before getting seconds of anything else (or dessert). We gave them a variety of stuff. Sometimes they would be stubborn and refuse to eat anything. We weren't hard *kitten*. But were politely firm. "I understand you don't like anything on the plate. That is your choice to not eat anything. No, you cannot have dessert. I'm sorry." It will not kill a child to skip a meal.

Now that we have two girls of our own (7 and 9), we use the same principles. We are lucky in that we participate in a neighborhood food share - cook one night a week for four families (us + three other families), and deliver food to the other three families. Three nights a week, food is delivered to us. One of the families is vegan, so the whole dinnershare is. Our meals are
generally pretty healthy, always tasty, and the kids are pretty good about trying new things.

I think my wife and I were lucky in that we learned THE SECRET before we had our own children: that short-term battle you just
caved on can create a long-term war that is 100 times more difficult to fight. That's not to say we don't pick our battles. But let's face it: clear, consistent discipline requires more effort than the other extremes: totally lenient or a complete hard-*kitten*/say no to
everything. The short-term hassle of patiently setting limits has a long-term benefit. And that hassle can be annoying as hell, especially after a long day, out at a restaurant when you just want to eat dinner. But it's worth it. It is an investment. There are no
quick fixes.

Hmmm.. kinda sounds like changing my eating habits and lifestyle around healthier choices...

Very sensible. Reality based. Doable. Wish I'd had that kind of parenting experience and plain common-sense intuition when my girls were children. I hope those whose children are still young will choose to listen to this kind of advice and choose to do what it takes to implement it. I promise you if I could go back in time, I would do things more line this. Thanks for your input.

KimmyEB

I agree. We keep most junk food out of the house because if it isn't there, we won't eat it. My daughter is 2 and luckily her favorite snacks are fruit and raisins. However, she does like the occasional cheese puffs (thanks to her auntie, LOL), so I get her some healthier ones from Whole Foods. Same with animal crackers & stuff like that. And we do have the occasional ice cream cone on weekends. But, for the most part, I try to feed her healthy foods. She isn't at that age yet where she begs to go to McDonald's...I don't plan on taking her there anyway!

You raise a good point--if it isn't there, it's less tempting. It's how I got over my junk food habits...I stopped buying it. And I sure as hell don't want to run to the store everytime I get a sweet tooth. I always wondered about parents who said "my kid won't stop eating junk food!" well...children are dependent upon the parents to buy their food. Don't blame your child because YOU just had to have Oreos/cake/candy...they eat what is presented to them. If all they're presented with is junk food, then that's what they'll become accustomed to eating. It isn't rocket science! (btw--this isn't directed at anyone here...just speaking my point. ).

Alissa_Sal

Here is a counterpoint. (And I don't gripe about having snacks in the house.) I do not plan to eat 100% healthy 100% of the time. It's no way to live, in my opinion. Kids cannot be taught to make healthy choices if they don't have a chance to MAKE CHOICES. In other words, placing them inside a bubble that they will definitely not be living in for life denies them the chance to learn what a choice is. We keep cookies and such in the house for our kids and ourselves. We've been told repeatedly that my 4-yo has the healthiest lunches of any kid in his pre-school/kindergarten. Here are some of the rules he has to live with.

(1) If you don't eat all of your dinner, no desert/treat. No exceptions.
(2) If you don't eat your fruit at lunch, THAT is you desert after dinner.
(3) Every trip to the grocery store, you may pick out one snack food as long as you also pick out one fruit or vegetable.

Does my 4-yo love pizza, chicken nuggets, chips, and cookies? Yes! And he gets them in moderation. If he's asked what he wants for dinner, what will he say? Seriously? Broccoli, chicken, and rice. What's his favorite eat-out restaurant? Subway. Does he like McDonalds and ChuckECheese? Yes, but mostly it's about the playground and/or games. His favorite weekly activity? Our trips to the farmer's market.

If you're letting your kids have the run of junk food, you're teaching them bad habits. HOWEVER, if you deny yourself foods that you will not be denying yourself for life and/or not giving them choices, you are also teaching them bad habits. If you want to learn to make healthy choices for yourself most of the time and teach your kids to do the same, you have to model healthy choices AND allow them to make choices.

Great post - I agree, I think that there has to be a middle ground. I think it's super important to model healthy eating for your kids and feed them healthy foods, but I also think that it can be taken to an extreme that is actually unhealthy for them in the long run. Like I said in my first post, my 3 year old is not on a diet, and he doesn't have to adhere to the more strict standards that I have to adhere to while I am digging myself out of this hole - he can have more treats and snacks than I allow myself. That doesn't mean that he gets to eat crap 24/7 - but it does mean that I don't have a problem if he (ETA: "occasionally") eats a piece of pizza for dinner (even if I order the salad) or if he snacks on some nuts and raisins even when I don't have the calories left to eat a big handful of nuts and raisins. My goal is that he learns a more balanced view of food, that he loves healthy food and eats it joyfully, but that he doesn't feel like he has to rebel and stuff himself with chips and pop the first chance he gets just because I made it completely off limits for him.

TaraAlbert

OMG!! Try being a nanny and trying to do right while having to feed the kids crap! I don't even get a say and all the while I'm thinking yeah, I used to eat that crap when I was a kid and look at me now!