No matter how much we try to control our children’s sugar intake all year long, the holidays are somewhat of an excuse for any person to enjoy treats without feeling an overwhelm of guilt, and the same applies to kids. While ideally some would tell you something along the lines of “don’t allow them to have chocolate” or “no need for candy and cake”, it is totally futile in this case. So instead of living in a two week battle, how about we parents embrace this season with a lot of humor and a little control.
I’ve come up with 5 methods that help parents deal with this situation in a way that doesn’t make us the bad cop.
1. Talk to your child. In case you haven’t had the “clean teeth and cavity” talk, this would be a good time to start. Explain to the best of their understanding how eating a lot of sweets can transform white teeth into rotten ones. Avoid scaring them by using the dentist as a threat; however make clear the cause and effect of consuming too much sugar.
2. Upon your arrival to visit family members, talk to the relative in charge of the distribution of favors in private and have them not pass the tray of treats when your child is present. This can literally save a piece of chocolate or coated almond, and if you are able to do it often (sometimes you might need to visit 5 families a day) then you are helping your child without him even being aware, win-win.
3. Bargain with your child on how many sweets he is allowed to have, if he already ate a Christmas log piece during the day, tell him he may have a small piece of chocolate but anything else he will hand over to you to save for another day.
4. Your best bet when negotiation goes sour is to achieve balance throughout day. Start off with a healthy breakfast and a filling lunch, but no matter how much your child nags about wanting to open a bag of chips, pretzels or marshmallows, avoid and leave his sugar allowance for later when you will be visiting friends and family.
5. If your child is adamant on hoarding everything he acquired, insist that eat his veggies and fruits before having any sweets. If he agrees it would be great because more vitamins from food is always good, but if he doesn’t want to, then even better because he would be giving up his handful of chocolates.
Maria Najem
Photo: mirror.co.uk
