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Easter: Should children be limited in the amount of chocolate they eat?
Results so far:
| Yes | 80% | 1011 votes | Total: 1268 votes | |
| No | 20% | 257 votes |
Yes
by April May Maple
Created on: March 08, 2011 Last Updated: March 10, 2011
Should a child’s chocolate intake be limited? Yes. Is allowing your children to have chocolate bad? Not at all. A parent is responsible for teaching their child how to make responsible decisions and making those decisions for them when they are not mature enough to make the decision themselves. While it may be nice to spoil a child every once in a while and allow them to indulge on chocolate, this should never become an everyday practice.
Before birth, parents begin shaping their child’s eating habits when they heavily weigh the pros and cons of breastfeeding verses formula. Throughout a child’s life there are many of these decisions that have to be considered. The bottom line is eating habits are just that, habits. They are carried with a child through life and incredibly hard to change once established.
Chocolate, in moderation, has many health benefits. It can lower blood pressure, help slow aging and even help improve a person’s mood. However, when a person over indulges they can become overweight or even obese, have problems with their dental health and get stomach aches. A child is not able to see these consequences to eating chocolate.
They look at that melt-in-your-mouth treat as nothing more or less than a good taste. Children are not capable of the thought process required to decide when they have had enough chocolate. It still tastes good, no matter how many pieces they have had, and they still want to eat it. A child doesn’t see obesity, heart-disease and cavities.
Limiting the amount of chocolate a child has teaches them about moderation. They learn that chocolate is a treat and not an everyday staple. Moderation and self-control are crucial to the development of a child and this goes beyond eating habits. The saying “everything in moderation” comes to mind.
There is a balance to life and restraint is necessary to achieve this balance. A parent needs to enforce this restraint in their child’s life. Work, play, sleeping and eating all need to be balanced so that a child learns to handle the responsibility of creating a healthy equilibrium in their life. While monitoring their chocolate alone will not establish this practice, it is an important step in the process.
Appreciation is another quality a child learns from a limited supply of chocolate. A child that is allowed to eat all the chocolate they want does not get the same joy from an Easter basket than a child who only gets chocolate for special occasions. Without moderation, it isn’t special.
Chocolate is not bad, it is just a substance that can be abused and become bad. By limiting the amount of chocolate a child has, you are helping teach your child healthy eating habits, self-control and appreciation. This doesn’t mean that you can’t let your child indulge on Halloween or when they visit their grandparents. It just means that everyday shouldn’t be indulgent.
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No
by Tammie Kuhn
Created on: December 17, 2008
As a child, my parents had a hard time making ends meet. We rarely had candy in the house - it was a treat reserved for special occasions. I remember the anticipation of waking up Easter morning and hunting for my Easter basket. It would be laden with chocolate and jelly beans. I could hardly wait to dig into it. My mom would let us eat all we wanted. I recall seeing her watch us as we gobbled down our treats; she would smile and laugh. The day after Easter, she would put up our baskets, and give us a piece or two at a time.
My situation is different than my parents, but I worry about my children's health. I buy candy on occasion, and limit how much the kids can have. My first Easter as a parent I recalled my childhood binging on Easter treats. I couldn't believe that my mom would let us eat all that junk. Chocolate, sugar - our teeth! How could she be so neglectful as to let her children gorge on candy? My then-husband agreed wholeheartedly, he was absolutely shocked at my mother's behavior. I took to filling my son's Easter basket with small toys, and a handful of candy. After my daughter was born, I did the same thing - I was being a good parent. Until my children were 6 and 4, they had a "sugar free" Easter.
My children's father and I divorced, and I was to spend the first Easter alone with my kids. I thought again about my Easter baskets growing up, and I had a revelation. I broke down in tears as I was shopping for their treats - I realized how happy those Easter mornings made my mom. For that one day a year, she could do something special for us. I was 33 years old, and I still remembered the excitement of Easter mornings. I remember the chocolate bunnies with the name "Frankie" on the box. I remember picking out the black jelly beans for my mom to eat. My Easter's were special because I was made to feel special. I promptly picked out huge chocolate bunnies, as well as bags of various other candy, and filled the kids Easter baskets.
When the kids found their Easter baskets, they squealed with excitement. Their first question was "can we eat some?" I let them have chocolate for breakfast. They ate candy all day long - it was by far the best Easter I had experienced since I was a child. They couldn't believe that I let them eat so much, I just don't do that! The next day, I put up their baskets, and gave them a few pieces at a time. The kids didn't mind at all, in fact, they talked about their chocolate binge for weeks afterward. Interestingly, they really didn't eat as much as I thought they would. When given free rein on their candy consumption, they still chose relative moderation.
No, children shouldn't be limited on the amount of chocolate they eat at Easter. There are two days a year that I let them eat copious amounts of candy - Halloween and Easter. On those days, they can be in charge. They can be crazy kids. They can feel
special. Every other day of the year, my children are limited on their sweets. They know that they are not allowed to eat junk food; they will even refuse most junk while at friend's houses because they know the rules. On Easter morning, I get to watch them laugh and smile about breaking the rules. We all have a great time, and an understanding that this isn't typical. In the grand scheme of things, it isn't going to harm them to eat chocolate for breakfast one day a year. They understand nutrition, they know that moderation is key in a balanced healthy diet. Let them eat chocolate!
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