Starting Habits Young

I recently came across an article on Facebook:

http://health.usnews.com/health-news/blogs/eat-run/2013/02/20/why-is-everyone-always-giving-my-kids-junk-food

The writer does an excellent job of conveying something that has been puzzling me every since my Music Man started entering the outside world that is our American society:

Why does everything we do with our kids have to be linked to food?!? And more importantly, why junk food??

Now I understand birthday parties. I realize that I'm a little extreme in that I didn't bake a cake for him for his 1st or 2nd birthday. I also have never taken him Trick or Treating, more so because he really didn't understand the concept. But I also never offered him candy during these times because quite frankly, he wouldn't have known if I had done it. Especially during his first year or two. I figured Halloween would be a tough enough battle for me once he was old enough to enjoy it, so why give his body crap now?

I understand that kids do a great job of negotiating and begging for sweets, and that controlling the amount of sugar my kids eat will be a battle for me at times. But when they are babies and toddlers, and we are truly molding the expectations and habits they will form for the rest of their childhood, why are we pushing the sweets on them? Who says that you "have" to give a 15 month old a chocolate bar because it's Halloween? Why does my 2 year old receive Valentines at school that have candy bags attached to them? And why does he come home with green frosting on his lips because it happens to be St. Patrick's Day?

I am not judging anyone who gives their kids sweets. I completely plan on giving my kids desserts and treats. But from my kitchen and cooked with the ingredients I select. And when we're out and about I will definitely allow the occassional treat (and I also know when they get old enough it's all out of my hands and I just hope I've given them enough knowledge to make mostly healthy choices). My beef is with the "public", as in his preschool or any other area with kids' activities, inundates him with sugary stuff just because that's what they feel they are supposed to know. And I am beyond perplexed when they offer it to kids who honestly wouldn't care one way or another if there was candy.

In our country, SO many people struggle with weight. And for a lot of us, it's an emotional connection to sweets that makes it difficult for us to resist them. Or sends us straight to the ice cream container when we're in a bad mood. I do believe there can be a positive emotional connection between us and our food - I actually agree with Michael Pollan when he says one of our problems is we have widdled food down too much to a science and forgotten what it meant to savor and enjoy it the way that other cultures do (but that is for another post). But we don't give our kids a shot in heck to create a positive relationship with food if we are constantly bombarding them with sweets during "celebrations." Again, I get it. Birthdays are a big deal. The holidays are a big deal. If in your house, Valentine's candy makes or breaks you, then go for it! Just stop assuming that I also want to do that with my own child.

Here's my perfect example of how something we do with our kids translates to the real world and then I'll stop this vent: My son's preschool does something called "Donuts with Daddy." I don't know the specifics because it is for the other kids, but I assume it is a special day once or twice a year where Dad actually comes to their schools. Now I'm sorry, but don't you think a 3 or 4 year old would be content enough to just have DAD be there?? His mere presence in their school, showing him the class, and sharing his/her favorite story with him would make the day unbelievably special for any child. Why must we pair an absolute piece of garbage food with this event? What does this remind me of? Donuts and bagels every Friday at the school I used to teach at! Donuts and coffee in the break room at the office I used to intern at! Sweets around every corner at any business in America! And we wonder why a report just came out that our obesity rate is still rising and that heart disease is taking more peoples' lives every single day?

It starts at the beginning folks!! You do not need sugar and treats to have fun! That doesn't mean it isn't fun to eat something sweet every once in awhile, but I hate that we look at it the reversed way. Kids are amazing beings in that they can find fun in a cardboard box, or with a leaf that's flying away, or a red crayon and a piece of paper. It's because we start them so early on this junk food/candy link to events that by the time they do reach grade school they are expecting it.

Once I get through these last 18-24 months of babies and diapers I really think the first thing I want to accomplish as a health coach is trying to get my voice heard in these preschools. There have got to be other mommies out there who agree with me on this. In the words of Barney Stinson, "Challenge accepted!"