Tania Reuben

I was recently at an event for parents and preschoolers at my daughter’s school.

Of course this event included food, which is always a challenge for me because I really avoid letting my children have sugar. I did allow both children to have one cookie each. After that I told them they could have fruit or vegetables.

Here is where I’m wondering if I’m out of line… I pushed the “treats” out of reach of my two children – maybe a foot back. I was really having trouble with two year old. After a little while I was told had to allow the sweets to be moved forward so the other children could reach them. Pushed back they would only be reached by older children and parents.

I was trying desperately to get my children away from the food table, but in response to this I said to this person… Are you sure that parents want the treats to be reached by the children. The reply – Yes I am. My response was – Really?

So am I out of touch. Do parents of preschoolers really want treats & sweets to be in arms reach in social settings?
Would parents prefer if it was more difficult for the treats to be reached, or if they could only be reached with their help? I just can’t imagine that most parents really want the treats to be easier to reach, but maybe I really do live on a different planet.

Every headline I read on nutrition and the state of what our children eat in this country supports my commitment to the health of these children – yet in the real world.

I feel I am fighting an uphill battle.

This entry was posted on Sunday, May 24th, 2009 at 6:37 am and is filed under MUSINGS. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.