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Beestie · 08-08-2006, 07:08 AM

We have a problem with this too. I have a 5 and 6 yo girl and boy.

I intentionally leave candy and sweets out on the counter and keep an eye on how fast they disappear. I also note how much they eat at dinner. From these two things, I get an idea of how "out of hand" their candy eating is.

What I have settled on is to frequently discuss nutrition with them to give them a reason not to eat too much. I can't police them at school and I don't want to make them neurotic about eating - I'm concerned especially about my daughter to make sure her self-image is independent of her eating habits.

Our conversation might go like this:

I see them going for the candy (Me in blue, them in grn)
Are you hungry?
Yes.
What does it mean when you are hungry?
puzzled looks
I think it means that your body is telling your tummy that it needs food to keep growing and your tummy, in turn, is telling you to give it some fuel. So what do you think your body wants you to give it? Its not like your tummy has hands and legs and can go to the fridge and pick what it really needs. You are in charge of that so what do you think you should do???
Give it some food?
I'd say that's probably what your tummy really wants.
I love candy, though.
You do!?!?
You bet!! And just as soon as I've given my tummy what it needs then I can have some.
Hey kids - what is Daddy supposed to do when my car is running out of gas?
Stop at 7-11 and put some gas in it?
Can I tell you kids something if you promise not to tell anyone? There was this one time that I was out of gas but instead of gas, I filled my car with Skittles! My car was sooooo happy!! Guess what happened next?!?!
It broke down?
Exactly! Why?
It wanted gas but you gave it Skittles???
Because my car doesn't run on Skittles! And little boys and girls don't run on Skittles either! But they are yummy tho.

I gave up on hiding candy. They need to learn at home from me and their mother how to manage the decision of when and how much candy and food to eat. Its not easy but we agreed a while back that not keeping candy in the house was just depriving them of the opportunity to learn how to think it through and make the right decision under our guidance. Same with soft drinks and cereal. My kids can pretty much go down the cereal aisle with me and figure out which cereals are food and which are candy disguised to look like food. And I tell them that its hard for me too - I'd rather have Lucky Charms than Raisin Bran or Cheerios but that my body expects me to give it food and it won't be healthy and strong if I don't. I think it really helps them to know that its hard for us too.

But we don't demonize candy and junk food. We just let the kids know that while candy and McDonald's are tasty, they are an occasional treat and we shouldn't pretend that our body can run on that stuff.

That works for 5 and 6 year olds. I have no idea what to tell you about the 9 year old.

08-08-2006, 07:08 AM	#12
Beestie -◊\|≡·∙■·∙≡\|◊- Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Parts unknown. Posts: 4,081	We have a problem with this too. I have a 5 and 6 yo girl and boy. I intentionally leave candy and sweets out on the counter and keep an eye on how fast they disappear. I also note how much they eat at dinner. From these two things, I get an idea of how "out of hand" their candy eating is. What I have settled on is to frequently discuss nutrition with them to give them a reason not to eat too much. I can't police them at school and I don't want to make them neurotic about eating - I'm concerned especially about my daughter to make sure her self-image is independent of her eating habits. Our conversation might go like this: I see them going for the candy (Me in blue, them in grn) Are you hungry? Yes. What does it mean when you are hungry? puzzled looks I think it means that your body is telling your tummy that it needs food to keep growing and your tummy, in turn, is telling you to give it some fuel. So what do you think your body wants you to give it? Its not like your tummy has hands and legs and can go to the fridge and pick what it really needs. You are in charge of that so what do you think you should do??? Give it some food? I'd say that's probably what your tummy really wants. I love candy, though. You do!?!? You bet!! And just as soon as I've given my tummy what it needs then I can have some. Hey kids - what is Daddy supposed to do when my car is running out of gas? Stop at 7-11 and put some gas in it? Can I tell you kids something if you promise not to tell anyone? There was this one time that I was out of gas but instead of gas, I filled my car with Skittles! My car was sooooo happy!! Guess what happened next?!?! It broke down? Exactly! Why? It wanted gas but you gave it Skittles??? Because my car doesn't run on Skittles! And little boys and girls don't run on Skittles either! But they are yummy tho. I gave up on hiding candy. They need to learn at home from me and their mother how to manage the decision of when and how much candy and food to eat. Its not easy but we agreed a while back that not keeping candy in the house was just depriving them of the opportunity to learn how to think it through and make the right decision under our guidance. Same with soft drinks and cereal. My kids can pretty much go down the cereal aisle with me and figure out which cereals are food and which are candy disguised to look like food. And I tell them that its hard for me too - I'd rather have Lucky Charms than Raisin Bran or Cheerios but that my body expects me to give it food and it won't be healthy and strong if I don't. I think it really helps them to know that its hard for us too. But we don't demonize candy and junk food. We just let the kids know that while candy and McDonald's are tasty, they are an occasional treat and we shouldn't pretend that our body can run on that stuff. That works for 5 and 6 year olds. I have no idea what to tell you about the 9 year old. __________________ ♠ ♥ ♣ ♦