That’s what my six-year-old son said to me the other day. Recently we visited family and all the cousins got to drink some soda. Soda was instantly cool. But I think a big part of his reaction is also because soda is not something we drink in my home.
I’ve really tried not to have “forbidden” food in my house. Contrary to what you might think, I do buy junk foods like chips (potato, corn, etc), chocolate, candy, marshmallows, lollipops, cookies, chocolate-covered gluten free pretzels, etc. They aren’t eaten all in one day, but the kids eat them every so often.
I have junk food in my home because my mom restricted my access to chips and candy as a kid. So when I grew up, I ate Snickers bars, M&Ms, Reese’s pieces and I went out to eat fast food with my friends. I loved eating the occasional Twinkie, which was completely not allowed as a kid. All of those foods were pretty much off-limits until I moved out of the house.
I have a real problem resisting chocolate these days. I think it’s because I reward myself with it and I go overboard with it. But chocolate was something I didn’t have very much as a child. I want the forbidden fruit.
I didn’t want my son to have that same obsession with junk food as an adult. That means that he does eat candy and chips every so often in my house. Admittedly, I feel bad that he is gluten free.
My mistake was neglecting to consider junk foods that I don’t like. When I was about his age, I tried soda and thought, “This is terrible.” The fizziness was overwhelming to my mouth. I didn’t enjoy the experience so I never felt like I was missing out when friends drank it.
I forgot about letting him sample soda. Oops! I guess I’m going to have to let him have soda more frequently (than never) so that he learns it’s not a big deal. I don’t need him fantasizing about soda and then having problems overdoing as an adult.
What do you think of my approach? Do you restrict your children’s access to certain foods? Are there forbidden items?
No, the orthodontia does all the restricting for us. No popcorn, no gummy or chewy or sticky candies, no hard candies, no jerky, no nuts, no corn or tortilla chips, no ridged potato chips…
And yet, the one time Ana lost a bracket, it was while drinking orange juice. Go fig.
Braces! I’m sure that’s on the horizon for us. Thanks for sharing!
I don’t drink soda as a rule, but I don’t restrict (make food off limits) food for my child. I would prefer she not have Diet Mountain Dew, but I can’t control my husband pouring her a little in a cup now and again. I was however EXTREMELY disturbed that my SIL let my niece have not one, but TWO diet coke’s at my in-laws the other day. She is FOUR!!!!! Diet pop is the devil IMHO.
Diet pop is a the devil — agreed. I would be upset about two diet cokes to a four-year-old. Yikes! Thanks for commenting!
My son is gluten-free, too, and I admit that I probably let him have a little more junk at times because I feel bad about what he’s missing. Even with his school lunches, I always pack some sort of cookie. I do try to pack fruit and/or a yogurt just about every day, too, but I’m not going to make his lunch all health food and have him not eat it. He’s too skinny for that!
My husband is a chip/pretzel snacker, and particularly once the GF thing happened, both of my kids started to love that stuff, too. Ugh. I try to limit it as much as I can, and straight-up sweets are generally reserved for special occasions or dessert for a well-eaten dinner. If they have treats left over from a holiday or party, I’m not going to take them away, but they’re not really in a habit of going to grab them randomly, either, so I guess that’s good.
My older son (7–the GF one) has pop once in a while, usually at a party or out to eat. My husband gave it up completely after having a serious diet pop habit for years, so it’s not in our house very often. I don’t like him overindulging, and I would much rather have him have regular than diet. I simply don’t like the sugar/caffeine intake because he’s challenging enough without it!
I try to let my kids have sweets and soda in moderation, but I feel like it is backfiring on me right now. I usually let them have no more than one or two little pieces of candy a day and not let them ever have a whole bunch at once (except Halloween). But when the kids get a bunch of candy at school parties or birthday parties, they will eat all of it no matter how much there is. They lose all self control. I don’t know if it’s because I’m so strict with candy at home or if it’s just them being kids. I was hoping that by teaching them moderation, they would be able to practice it without me, but right now that’s not happening.
Food was forbidden/restricted in my house growing up. And I never developed a taste for any of it. Tried it in the college cafeteria no more than once. Honestly I don’t get the appeal of junk food. I think it was one of my parents’ best moves. I’m doing the same with my child.
My older (12 yo) daughter drinks soda whenever she can, but not at home. I allow her to drink one glass if we go to a restaurant, but try to turn it into a lesson about too much sugar. I usually get an eye roll, bit she drinks it with her friends because she can and there’s nothing I can do about it. I has to be important to her, not just me when she is out in the world. My 10 yr. old is much healthier and wants to eat what’s good for her. Different kids will have different personalities.
I don’t forbid any kinds of food from my kids. I’m a big believer in ‘all things in moderation’ 🙂 My kids get an occasional caffeine free soda, candy, chips etc. My kids are healthy, and also have a healthy relationship with food. I also refuse to label any food as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ or ‘junk’. I know from experience that labeling food in certain ways can lead to all sorts of problems!