I recently read something where a woman had written that she does not keep sweets in her house because her kids would overeat on sweets and never eat anything healthy. So, for her family, sweets were only for very special occasions. I respect her decision and all but it made me think about my decision to do just the opposite with my family. I DO keep sweets in the house and for the most part have never limited my kids on how often they could have them.
Let me explain. I grew up in a home where cookies and snacks were ALWAYS available and we never had to ask for a snack. I also grew up in a home where we were NEVER allowed cold cereal for breakfast. Before I left home I had NEVER seen my mom in her night gown in the morning. During my grade school years, she was always fully dressed, hair and makeup done, standing at the stove making a hot breakfast on school days, when I got out of bed. EVERY SCHOOL DAY. Cold cereal was a treat for us. She also always made a sit down supper. So she WAS concerned about a healthy diet. But she never made us limit our snacking.
Here's why. When my parents were living in military housing in Germany, they were so poor they sometimes pooled their money with the neighbors at the end of the month. They would then go shopping together and get a few items that they would share so that each family could make it until the next payday. My oldest brother was 3 years old before he ever tasted a cookie (because they could not spend their money on luxuries like cookies) and that always broke my mother's heart. So she made a promise to herself that when they got back to the states and had more money, her children would always have cookies available and they would never have to ask before they had one. And so we were free snackers. And what was my favorite food as a child? Canned corn. My mom says I would have eaten a whole can at one sitting if she'd let me. When asked my preference for lunch, I did not ask for pb&j, or cookies, or a hot dog. I asked for corn.
And now, my kids are free snackers, because it just seemed natural for me to always buy the snacks, but still encourage healthy eating. Right now I have ice cream in the freezer that the kids requested 2 weeks ago. None of the containers has been opened. On any given day, you will find, in my cupboards, cookies, Little Debbie snack cakes, and sugar cereals. What are Kayla's favorite snacks? Popcorn, carrots, yogurt and GALA apples (at age 4, she decided that GALA apples tasted better than the other types) When she was in 3rd grade she started requesting raw broccoli and ranch dressing in her lunch box. Blake eats lots of rice cakes and oranges, and drinks LOTS of skim milk. The most frequent consumers of the snacks in our house are the kids' guests (well, ok, and me). One of those boys' mothers told me her son loves our house because we keep snacks and they don't. She asked if my kids eat sugar all the time. And I could honestly say "uh...actually no, they don't reach for the sweets just because they're available. In fact, they tend to ignore the sweets."
I am certainly not trying to disparage parents who have rules regarding sweets or snacking. I truly do not care to impose my food rules on anybody else. I think the reason this article hit home with me is that I was able to look at something I had done as a parent and see success. I was able to look back on something and see that it had worked FOR US. Also, in a broader sense, it made me realize how we take for granted things that are just always there. When we have someting around ALL THE TIME, we don't necessarily desire it or feel a need for it.
HMMMM. Kind of like that Bible sitting on my desk over there....
1 comment:
Great post. Growing up, my parents never had sweets in the house and I think that was part of the reason I would overindulge at every opportunity. The key is control and, introducing lots of other healthy foods in to the mix.
Sounds like you're doing a great job!
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