Do You Give Your Kids Candy ?

#2
My mom would give us some sweets and treats from time to time, but not very much. She always made my lunch for school, and I NEVER got a ding-dong or Ho-Ho or cake-roll in my life. I got carrot slices and cucumber and a sandwhich and fruit and then some fruit snacks or pretzels or if I was really lucky I got homemade cookies!!!!

I have a very wholistic approach to diet/lifestyle so I am not going to give my kids much candy... I won't keep them away from all sweets, but I won't let them drink soda or eat candy all the time :smile:
 
#3
I do, but only once in awhile. It's definitely not an everyday thing in my house. I do buy healthful, small cookies and they get those if they eat well.
I try to make nothing completely off limits, that's not the way I eat so I'm not going to do that to them. I do keep them away from things with hydroginated oils, though - but there are excellent cookies, crackers, snacks that don't have this.

My kids like yogurt covered pretzels - these are a little better and they only get 1 or 2 for a treat. Again, not everyday.

I'm super healthy but my kids (2 and 4) are extremely picky - it's really tough to make sure they get everything they need. I've learned to "let a lot go" and just try the best I can. Their doctors agree.
 
#4
Oh jeez...this is a huge issue. I have been struggling with food for years and it does stem from when I was younger.

I remember fighting for a place in line for food during family gatherings. As if it were going to disappear if I didn't get in first (normally the 'elders' got their food first but I always tried to cut). And candy was something I would SNEAK and eat until I was sick. And I was NOT fat...if anything I looked anorexic all the way through high school. Of course, that's not how I look now! Grrr.

So even today I crave sugar all the time. I'm trying really hard lately to avoid sugary candy and ice cream (my all time downfall!). When I have kids I am going to introduce them to all the foods that I won't eat. I can't stand almost all veggies and rarely eat fruit though I have been trying harder lately. I had a banana AND cherries yesterday! That's like a record for me.

SO...sugar free candy perhaps for the kids. I don't want to deny them and have them obsess. I don't think that's what happened to me but I'm pretty sure that since my dad died I have been having these issues. Before that it doesn't seem that I was (but I was 8 so who knows).

What about change? Like $0.25 for chores when they're young and $1 as they get older. Then again, I've also read that 'rewarding' kids for just doing things that once were expected of kids can be counter productive. My brother and I always asked (and I mean always) "how much are you going to pay us?" when our mom asked for help with something. How ridiculous is that?

Needless to say I had some issues as a kid...and young adult. LOL I'm definitely not into denial of foods but moderation is also an important thing to learn. One I'm still struggling with!
 
#5
Yes, I reward him at certain times. Not for good behavior though-good behavior is a given-it is expected-everyone should behave! LOL

If he (and, I am only talking about the 5 year old here-the 18 year old is too big for some of this stuff) has done something extra special, he might get some sort of reward. Things that would qualify as extra special? Umm-doing soemthing really great in school, going out of his way to show a kindness to a friend, helping with something in the house. And, yes, he is allowed candy.
 
#6
What's candy?

Fruit snacks? Fruit Rolls? Lucky Charms? Cocoa Kripies? Sweetened Kids Drinks aka CApri Sun (etc)?

There are tons of things out there which try to not to sell themselves as something other than candy and are just as bad. I guess we operate here under the mind set of all things in moderation.

I do not stock any of the above or candy but candy is unavoidable. The drycleaner offers lollypops when you pick up the drycleaning, the barber offers suckers after haircuts. Heck even the ENT even has a candy bowl by the counter. Candy comes home from class parties and let's not even get into all the candy driven holidays!!!! Most people know I do not like my kids to eat candy as my kids definately do not react well to candy, behaviorally that is, so we just try to keep trying to teach balance and moderation.
 
#7
I reward him w/ candy if he does something helpful..like helping me cook but not everytime. I don't allow him to drink soda only water, juice, or milk. He mostly eats fruit he loves bananas, strawberries, any type. Oh yea he gets alittle candy when we go to the movies about every other weekend. I try to teach him good hygiene by brushing twice a day!
 
#9
My daughter is only two, but I try to avoid too much candy and don't usually give it is a 'reward' for behaving because I think that may send the wrong message...I have found that if you stick to healthier things like yogurt the that is what she likes best anyways...hey, if they've never had junk, they're not going to know what they are missing are they?
 
#10
Pradasmeadow said:
How do you reward your children or child for good behavior ?

Do you give your kids candy ?



If you don't have children yet, whats your opinion anyway ?
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No my kids dont get candy, pop or any type of junk food. They are lucky if once in a blue moon they get chips.
My kids are way too hyper and dont need the sugar.
 
#11
Bag Fetish said:
No my kids dont get candy, pop or any type of junk food. They are lucky if once in a blue moon they get chips.
My kids are way too hyper and dont need the sugar.
Click to expand...

Thank goodness! I was beginning to think I was the only Mom who was the junk food police. You don't know how many times I've said to people no thank you. Candy is everywhere. My kids come home from school parties and their little eyeballs are actually vibrating!
 
#12
I dont have any kids and I always tell them to ask their parents before I give them any because they aren't my responsibility. If they're parents want them to have it, that's for them to decide not me. When I used to babysit, waaaay back in the day I would ask about food before they left. Only people I didn't ask were my aunt and uncle because they didn't care. Those kids would eat whatever and I would be dog tired by 12 and they would still be running around until 2 or 3 am.
 
#13
I don't have any kids.. but I remember one day, I was visiting a friend and his mom was feeding her daughter (about 2 years old) MC DONALDS...with coke to drink... :yucky: i was like EWWWWWWWWWWWW what happened to nutritious meals??? And everytime I saw this little girl, she was always munchin on fries or whatever.. I always wondered how those eating habits were going to impact on her future eating habits.


I think as long as the child is eating healthy... then it's OK to have candy/sweets once in awhile.
 
#14
My kids are not into candy as much as chips. It is not a reward, but a monitored snack (they can have it in reasonable amounts).
I expect my kids to behave, but usually reward them for something extra special by taking them to the book store.
 
#15
i have never rewarded my kids with candy. neither to i buy candy either. occassionaly they are allowed to have candy or junk food but for the most part they eat healthy snacks.
my father in law is a dentist, and he always jokes and teases them telling them that he loves it when kids eat candy because its more business for him:amazed: :graucho:
 
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