Children and Candies: How Parents Can Deal with the Issue

When parents become fanatical about an issue, they often end up with a result opposite to what they intended. Instead of teaching moderation and making good choices, they end up trying to control their children's behavior at all times.

Candy is one of those issues where parents become fanatical, and kids end up craving something they otherwise might enjoy just on special occasions. Candy is also frequently used to bribe or reward children or to modify their behavior. This is disrespectful, as children prefer to do what is in their best interest and cooperate until they sense they are being manipulated. Below are some tips:

1. When children are young, one way to limit the amount of candy they can eat is to have a special candy day. Let the kids decide which day that will be so they participate in setting limits.

2. Teach children how to balance what they eat and make wise choices. If they make their own lunches, tell them they can have a sugar treat if they also include healthy choices.

3. Don't use candy as a bribe or reward. It may work at first, but think about the long range consequences. Do you want children performing for external stimuli or behaving because it is in their own best interest to cooperate? Think about the message you are giving your children.

4. Don't forbid your children to eat candy as children want what they can't have. It is better to regulate how much and how often instead of saying absolutely not. Don't leave bowls of candy around the house to tempt the kids. Have plenty of healthy snacks available.

5. At some point, when your children are older and have more freedom, they may choose to eat a lot of candy. You can't and don't want to follow them around, but you can tell them how you feel and let them know that if they have excessive dental work they may have to help pay for the treatment. Children do go through phases, especially in their early teens, when eating junk food and candy is a safe way to rebel.

6. Let your children know that eating candy may create dental problems. Talk about brushing after sugary treats. One family had a jar for the kids to put an amount equal to the cost of the candy to save for the dentist. Ask your dental hygienist or dentist to educate the kids about the effects of candy.

7. Talk to your children about the addictive nature of sugar and how it affects the body. Educate your children early that the choices they make have health consequences. Children need information and will listen when it is given in a friendly manner. They tune out hostile lectures.

8. On Halloween, ask your children for their ideas of how they can limit eating the treats they get. For young children, take their candy bags and let them pick out one or two treats a day. In some cities, there are dentists who pay children by the pound to turn in their Halloween candy. Let your children know this is a choice.

Children can learn what foods are healthy and what foods are not so they can decide what they want to put into their bodies. They can learn about moderation, making choices, and how to limit themselves.