My UO is one I hold strongly year round but I really got to thinking about it while at Target last night.
The candy and boxed, processed "food product" junk that we feed to children is repulsive. I was seriously grossed out by the huge bags upon bags of clearance I saw on store shelves. Though, on second thought maybe the insane amount of leftovers indicated that people were getting wise and not trashing their bodies.
I'm by no means a health freak but the sugar and super processed crap that children are consuming is so sad and directly responsible for high levels of type 2 diabetes and other illnesses that just 20+ years ago were almost unheard of in children.
@runsomewhere I am fine with junk in moderation. I hit the lottery with my kid...so far. She loves fruit and is open to a lot of vegetables and really likes a few (carrots, lettuce, etc). Also somehow we've mostly stuck to milk and water only. However I don't deny her candy at holidays... I don't personally buy a lot, but my mom goes overboard I just let her eat some each day (and I always get into it too...), but when it's gone, that's it until next holiday.
With that being said, I know it will get harder as she gets older. I really believe if you completely deny some kids some of the junk they want, some kids (not all) will be more likely to splurge later when you aren't around. I am just trying to find a good balance and help teach her how to make good choices.
@cseley321 Right, a treat for the holidays is fine. My kid will have cake or whatever is offered at a birthday party or a piece of chocolate at Easter or Halloween. I do not believe in denying something completely. However, lets be honest, for a lot of kids this junk is a significant part of their regular diet and gorging on candy is synonymous with every holiday and celebration. If you look at what's in that stuff it barely passes as food (and shouldn't).
I have to agree with @runsomewhere. I occasionally indulge in a bag of Cheetos or a chocolate bar but I am also really wondering how certain foods are still being sold. The crap in it is just too much.
I'll say my mom never let me have packaged snacks and mostly made me home made snacks or lots of sandwiches instead. I always had the packaged snacks at my friend's house of course but growing up I never really craved them so in my case denying helped. She did let me indulge every once in a while in gummy candy for example and that's still my favorite (crappy) treat. I remember I was drinking a lot of soda for a couple of years and then my mom and dad just decided it was bad and one day it was all gone and water was all I had. And nowadays I'm still not a soda drinker.
I am all for giving kids some candy I just wish it was cleaner candy that what's normally sold at stores. Unfortunately that's also more expensive so people can't afford it. It's all about the demand, if demand was higher for cleaner treats they'd probably start costing less too.
I agree in excess it's an issue. I did get kraft mac growing up, lunchables were a treat, and omg do you remember dunkaroos!? Most of our major meals though were at the kitchen counter and made from scratch. We eat quick meals more often than I'd like, but right now with a precocious toddler who's just starting to be trustable alone while I make dinner I'm doing what I can. I do hate the menu grandma is ok with - fruit in syrup is not fruit or healthy, goldfish should not be eaten half a bag at a time...but at 2 I also am happy if she eats a veggie pouch and a peanut butter cracker for me.
My UO is kids need to have chores. Seen a lot of posts on fb about doing away with them. No, you do not have kids to be free labor, but if you don't teach your kids how to do laundry, clean up after themselves, and value of contributing to your community/household, how do you expect them to be independent, productive adults?
@gingerbride26 - I'm with you on the chores! My boys (almost 5 and 3) are expected to keep their rooms tidy, clear their dishes to the sink after a meal and help clean up toys before bed. This month I've also added in that they help with their laundry - dump it all out and while I'm folding it all the youngest pulls out all the undies and puts them in s pile while the oldest matches all the socks for me. Once it's sorted they help me put it in their dressers. Nothing super hard and they always have help if they need it, but heaven help me if I'm going to have 3 boys they WILL pull their weight!
Feeding a toddler is hard. He eats more processed foods than I'd like, but I pick my battles. I'd rather him eat chicken nuggets for dinner and at least get some protein than just eat yogurt pouches and fruit pouches, which is really all he ever wants to eat. And we feed him (organic!) boxed mac n cheese and I don't feel too guilty, I figure at least he's eating and getting something in his tummy before bed. He eats a lot of fresh fruit, he'd live off it if I let him, but it's hard to get him to eat vegetables. He doesn't drink anything besides water and unsweetened almond milk (ocassinnally regular milk, I just worry about cavities), and he won't get to try soda until he's a lot older - but I'm fine with it as an occasional treat in older kids. I grew up in a really strict food house and I used to go crazy at my friends' houses eating the forbidden foods I wasn't allowed to have at home. I think ice cream/a cookie/some chips etc once a week as a treat is no big deal.
My UO is I don't understand leaf blowers. They're just loud and obnoxious and add to pollution, and is it really that much less work than good old fashioned raking?
@gingerbride26 Chores are definitely not free child labor: it's getting them ready for the world outside of your home. I've noticed with my husband, and myself, on the things that we weren't made to do as kids growing up, are things that I or DH never think to do or hate doing as an adult. I plan to have my child help around the house and do their part just so they're not clueless when they move out on their own.
TTC History:
Me: 36 H: 40 Married 2015. Together since 2010. TTC: Sept 2016-Oct 2017 BFP Oct 2017. DD born July 2018. TTC: March 2020. BFP March 2020 Due date was Nov 2020 DS born Sept 2020. DS passed away Nov 2020 due to prematurity and birth trauma. TTC: March 2021 IUI #1 Nov 2021, BFN IUI #2 Dec 2021 BFP. MC Jan 2022 IUI #3 Aug 2022 BFN IUI #4 Sept 2022 BFN AMH test came back at .081. Was going to move on to IVF with DE, but have decided not to. Will be leaving it up to the universe now.
Letting boys pee out in the open. Maybe because I’m not at the potty training stage yet but IMO it’s not right to teach boys to just pee whereever they want out in the open for everyone to see. It’s not funny or cute to me. I have two nephews who have done this (different parents) and each time they were just feet away from an actual restroom. Hopefully i didn’t jinx myself for my upcoming boy potty training.
I'll never forget when I was little and my brother who is 2 years older than me peed on a tree outside while we were playing. I saw him do it, and wanted to do it too, so I pulled my pants down and literally just paid in front of the tree, with the pee pouring down my legs. I was probably like 4 or 5 and clearly did not understand that you can't pee on a tree with a vagina. Your UO just reminded me of that @wildtot. I do agree though, having a penis does not give you free reign to whip it out wherever. Might be an uphill battle getting my husband on the same page though.
@wildtot yes! It’s one thing if you’re in the middle of nowhere and there isn’t a bathroom nearby, but there’s no reason boys shouldn’t use a toilet. I refuse to teach my son to “water a tree” like younger cousins do. Thankfully DH doesn’t do that so I won’t need to retrain them both.
On that note I think spitting on the ground is the most disgusting habit in the world. I’ve broken up with guys because of it in the past, I just can’t handle it.
Sloan is 4. We try to do chores but sometimes we forget. Her chores are bring dishes to the counter after eating, put clothes In hamper after removing them, help clean up toys at night.
honestly- my child eats like crap. But I’m not a cook. So it is what it is. She eats Mac and cheese and chicken on the regular. But she also eats so many apples and blue berries. She likes cottage cheese. Drinks are water , milk , or water downed diet grape juice ( her dad drinks it). She can have candy but only on special occasions. She gets a cookie at the grocery store.
+1 to chores. If I was better organized DS would help more often, but I'll get my shit together and get a routine down at some point.
Also until DS was 1/1.5 ish maybe I was militant about what he ate. Now I just watch sugar, but even with that he gets an treat every now and again (munchkins are a fave).
Also I agree no peeing where ever when there is a bathroom. We pee on trees when we are at our forest play group and too far out to go back to the house, or out on a hike in an area that's not well traveled, but other than that, no peeing on trees! DS actually gets stage fright, lol.
@wildtot I completely agree! I was at a gas station one day and these people let their kid pee beside one of the pumps! I was completely disgusted! This was a gas station at a Kroger, by the way, so they could have easily taken him inside to pee.
Your UO made me ask my husband his opinion on this and luckily we agree.
@elizabethrn87 that doesn't sound bad to me. My 2yo loves mac n cheese
I cook the pasta and chop veggies like squash, broccoli and
cauliflower up in the food processor really fine then combine that with
the pasta, a little butter, milk and good cheese.
@gingerbride26 totally agree about kids and chores. Also, it kind of blows my mind that teaching kids responsibility would be controversial.
@wildtot I didn't even realize that was a thing but I agree, ew!
@acunamatada spitting on the ground is absolutely repulsive
Re: UO Thursday 4/5
The candy and boxed, processed "food product" junk that we feed to children is repulsive. I was seriously grossed out by the huge bags upon bags of clearance I saw on store shelves. Though, on second thought maybe the insane amount of leftovers indicated that people were getting wise and not trashing their bodies.
I'm by no means a health freak but the sugar and super processed crap that children are consuming is so sad and directly responsible for high levels of type 2 diabetes and other illnesses that just 20+ years ago were almost unheard of in children.
With that being said, I know it will get harder as she gets older. I really believe if you completely deny some kids some of the junk they want, some kids (not all) will be more likely to splurge later when you aren't around. I am just trying to find a good balance and help teach her how to make good choices.
I'll say my mom never let me have packaged snacks and mostly made me home made snacks or lots of sandwiches instead. I always had the packaged snacks at my friend's house of course but growing up I never really craved them so in my case denying helped. She did let me indulge every once in a while in gummy candy for example and that's still my favorite (crappy) treat. I remember I was drinking a lot of soda for a couple of years and then my mom and dad just decided it was bad and one day it was all gone and water was all I had. And nowadays I'm still not a soda drinker.
I am all for giving kids some candy I just wish it was cleaner candy that what's normally sold at stores. Unfortunately that's also more expensive so people can't afford it. It's all about the demand, if demand was higher for cleaner treats they'd probably start costing less too.
My UO is kids need to have chores. Seen a lot of posts on fb about doing away with them. No, you do not have kids to be free labor, but if you don't teach your kids how to do laundry, clean up after themselves, and value of contributing to your community/household, how do you expect them to be independent, productive adults?
My UO is I don't understand leaf blowers. They're just loud and obnoxious and add to pollution, and is it really that much less work than good old fashioned raking?
TTC: Sept 2016-Oct 2017
BFP Oct 2017. DD born July 2018.
TTC: March 2020. BFP March 2020
Due date was Nov 2020
DS born Sept 2020. DS passed away Nov 2020 due to prematurity and birth trauma.
TTC: March 2021
IUI #1 Nov 2021, BFN
IUI #2 Dec 2021 BFP. MC Jan 2022
IUI #3 Aug 2022 BFN
IUI #4 Sept 2022 BFN
AMH test came back at .081. Was going to move on to IVF with DE, but have decided not to. Will be leaving it up to the universe now.
Hopefully i didn’t jinx myself for my upcoming boy potty training.
On that note I think spitting on the ground is the most disgusting habit in the world. I’ve broken up with guys because of it in the past, I just can’t handle it.
honestly- my child eats like crap. But I’m not a cook. So it is what it is. She eats Mac and cheese and chicken on the regular. But she also eats so many apples and blue berries. She likes cottage cheese. Drinks are water , milk , or water downed diet grape juice ( her dad drinks it). She can have candy but only on special occasions. She gets a cookie at the grocery store.
Also until DS was 1/1.5 ish maybe I was militant about what he ate. Now I just watch sugar, but even with that he gets an treat every now and again (munchkins are a fave).
Also I agree no peeing where ever when there is a bathroom. We pee on trees when we are at our forest play group and too far out to go back to the house, or out on a hike in an area that's not well traveled, but other than that, no peeing on trees! DS actually gets stage fright, lol.
Your UO made me ask my husband his opinion on this and luckily we agree.
@gingerbride26 totally agree about kids and chores. Also, it kind of blows my mind that teaching kids responsibility would be controversial.
@wildtot I didn't even realize that was a thing but I agree, ew!
@acunamatada spitting on the ground is absolutely repulsive