Here is one parent\'s concern about junk food, and my suggestion of using a ticket system to gain control of the, \"Can I have a treat?\", questions. You can use tickets as home too.
Dear Tulum:
Although we\'re not totally health food fiends, we do try to serve healthy snacks to our kids.
When we\'re at sports events (practice & games) other families often have cookies, chips, fruit rolls, etc.
My daughter loves this stuff and will ask for some or often it is offered to her. I\'ve told her she needs to ask me first if she can have something but she can\'t resist.
I don\'t mind the occasional treat, but this is several times a week, it\'s too much. Any ideas?
- Cavity Conscious
Dear Cavity Conscious:
I think a multi-level approach is the way to go here.
Have a family meeting and decide together what snacks are acceptable (go for the lesser of evils, like fruit rolls), how much of those, and then how often a \"treat\" food, like a cookie, or chips can be eaten and how much of that.
Develop a system of tickets, so that your daughter has to give you a ticket for a certain item. Once the ticket is gone, that\'s it.
Bring protein type snacks, like nuts, cheese or tofu, for her to eat right after a sweet to neutralize the sugar in her system. Follow that up with carrot or apple slices to clean her teeth.
Teach her how to swish and spit at the drinking fountain, or swish and swallow some water to help dislodge any debris left on her teeth. If she won\'t swallow gum try one of those tooth brushing ones at the event too.
Also set up an agreement that once she gets home she\'ll floss, brush well, or use a water pick.
Visit the dentist regularly.
If you make sure the message of love gets through to her about your concerns and find solutions together that focus on moderation and meeting everyone\'s needs, I\'m confident you can both come out of this happy with most importantly, your relationship intact.
The bottom line: a good relationship with your daughter is more important than anything else, including a cavity or two.
And now I would like offer you free access to my online parenting newsletter, Mindful Parenting Tips: Mindful Parenting Tips
Discover proven techniques to become the best parent and solve your most difficult child-raising situations.
Tulum Dothee, credentialed and certified educator and counselor can be reached at: Parenting
Get a free subscription to this powerful online newsletter:\r Parenting Tips
Four Basic Parenting Styles
There are two dimensions to parenting which make up the four basic parenting styles: give and take, to put it simply.'Give' entails being supportive o...
How to Increase Your Chance of Getting Custody of Your Child
There are unavoidable circumstances in a marriage and sometimes it leads to separation and divorce. If you have children, the divorce will be followed...
A Message for Daddy - Change Your Parenting Life!
Believe this : A recent University study found that the average father in America spends less than sixty seconds per day in conversations with his chi...
Three Basic Parenting Styles
Parenting is something that usually comes naturally to people. There are no hard fast how to manuals or rules to parenting. People generally just le...
Bedtime Without Struggling
Bedtime should be a calm and pleasant experience for all concerned. Bath, supper, story then sleep. Routines are not always that simple, screaming can...
Praise Your Children - Do You Praise Your Children Often Enough
You must praise your children. You must put the feel-good factor into them. It increases their self esteem. But of course that does not mean that you ...
Parenting Tips - Parenting Advice from Hillary Clinton
During my corporate work life when my daughter was still a baby I met Hillary Clinton when she was making her first bid to become the senator from New...
How to Help Your Child to Behave Well
'I don't know why Mummy is always shouting at me. I don't think I am being bad, but she shouts at me anyway. I try to help but that gets me shouted ...
10 Steps To Successful Parenting
Children are the leaders of the future. So how do you give your child a real chance to shine, with positive parenting techniques and paying attention ...
Praise Your Children - How Much And How Should You Praise Your Child
Children must be praised. It increases their self esteem and makes them feel good about life. Having said that, a parent must also discipline the chil...
Parenting Forum - Tips On Joing A Parenting Forum
Joining a parenting forum today is a highly recommended option for parents looking for a sounding board for questions and answers on the different are...
Parenting a Gifted Child Can Be a Challenge
Have you ever wondered what it is like to parent a gifted child? Or maybe you have one and are not sure how to handle it. In any case parenting a gift...
Selfishness Can Be Age Appropriate In Toddlers And Young Children
We've all been there with young children or toddlers who greedily rip open presents and gifts and seem unappreciative afterward.But experts caution th...
General Discipline Guidelines
We as parents/educators should have certain beliefs, including:All children want to do the right thing.
Children prefer to have definite rules.
We d...
Why You Must Allow Your Child To Make Mistakes
If your child must grow and be wise, he or she must learn to
make mistakes; fail and learn from such mistakes and failure.
Anything short of this s...
