Another “candy-filled” holiday is on its way with Easter coming soon and the taste of Valentine’s Day still on our lips. How do you manage the amount of candy your kids consume without seeming like a master sergeant?
Alternatives just may be the answer! But this is difficult. Even if you’re determined to cut way back on sweets, almost every holiday brings a new round of delectable pleasures – whether home-baked or store-bought – chip away at your will power. You need as much help resisting the goodies as you do in helping to distract your children from them.
And children seem to have an inexhaustible appetite for sugar – regardless of its form.
Helping children to make better snack choices is important – despite the temptations – because of the implications sugar overload has on their health.
Some parents have had success in declaring their house a sugar-free zone but sometimes that is difficult simply because it is hard to stick to a diet that doesn’t at least allow an occasional treat.
What about this? Establish family exercise times and allow each family member one sweet treat after each exercise session. You may even find that children will not mind that their sweets being kept out of reach if they knew they would earn a sweet reward. Stow away each holiday’s cache. (You may have to freeze some of the home made goodies) And set about with a realistic exercise schedule and hold firm to you exercise-reward policies without exception.
Children like to work on goals with their parents, so the fact that you’re imposing candy restrictions and exercise requirements on yourselves as well as on them will give them even more incentive to succeed. And you may see that your children are quicker to rise to and meet challenges than you and your adult counterparts are. So don’t be surprised when they are enthusiastic about it and actually hold you to your own rules.
The results – and your family’s ability to resist sweets – may surprise you. You may even have an Easter Bunny that survives to meet Santa Claus.
There can even be an added bonus: a sense of team. As your family works together on their exercise and sugar–resistance goals, they may take on a team aspect that’s new to them. They also – because of sibling competitiveness – be willing to eat more fresh produce and learn to like the taste of a wider variety of foods that are good for them.
Your new focus eventually will translate over to those who have the habit of bestowing the lion’s share of the holiday sweets. For instance, Grandma may send healthier goodies – and perhaps even send non-food items instead of sugar.
As success grows, children will begin to understand the importance of making wiser snack choices and will be able to see how those improvements have increased the energy levels of everyone in their families and improved their own performance levels in their sports.
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