Easter was over a week ago. My kids got some toys, a kite and a fair amount of candy from the Easter Bunny: some jelly beans, a couple of marshmallow rabbits and a chocolate bunny.
I have absolutely no concerns about all that candy because my kiddos eat really well most of the time... and they should be allowed to thoroughly enjoy all the wonder and fun of holidays.
And in accordance with Feeding the Kids philosophy, I also never take their candy away and dole it out. (Nor do I control their Halloween bounty or treats from birthday parties.) Why? Because that isn't fun for them or me. I don't want to play candy-cop. More importantly, it would also make my kids think candy is a BIG deal--dangerous and desirable. And candy just isn't a big deal. It is one type of food- not a very nutritious type of food, granted- but still just a food that they can enjoy sometimes if they want to.
This self-regulation works out really well. They enjoy the candy they like, they don't feel like they have to eat it fast before I take it away, and I don't have to be a mean mama stealing treats from my kids. But I have run into a problem with these seemingly simple system. Sometimes they don't really want to eat what they get.
That doesn't sound like a problem... but it is. I recently found Valentine's candy stashed away among the cards my son got from school. Once I found months old candy from soccer camp still residing in the bottom of the water bottle it came in. I've unearthed old candy in party-bags from birthday parties and ancient Halloween candy stashed in a kitchen cupboard for "later." Most of this candy is stuff they don't really want. They like to save it for a while just in case they decide they want it--or to remember the fun occasion they got it from. We usually laugh when we find it and through it away.
But right now I am living with a decapitated chocolate rabbit. It disturbs me. It moves around the house. Yesterday, I found it on the side table in the living room. They day before it was on the kitchen counter next to a bowl of fruit. This morning I found it on a chair in the kitchen.
The rabbit belongs to my 5 year old. She ate the head and obviously didn't really like it. (She did like the jelly beans and marshmallow rabbits... they are long gone.) Obviously, she can't get rid of it because it was a present from the Easter Bunny. That gives it high sentimental value. So she keeps it.
It wouldn't be so bad if it still had it's head.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
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