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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To let the kids open all their Easter eggs?

43 replies

OwlinaTree · 13/04/2018 19:39

Me and Mr Owl disagree on how to manage the Easter egg mountain our children have been lucky enough to receive. Wondering how your guys have managed it?

I think the excitement for the 4 yo is in the opening and bashing of the egg. He eats a bit of the chocolate then he's fine. The rest goes in the tin for another day. Next day he wants to open another which I'm fine with but DH wants him to eat a bit more of the ones he's already opened. At the same time he's saying it's too much chocolate, they can't eat it all, it will lead to bad habits. I think it teaches them how to manage eating junk food as part of life, having and enjoying treats but not over eating.

AIBU to just let him open them and bin some of the chocolate/eat it ourselves? I don't like waste but I don't think the kids need to be encouraged to eat it all up if all they really want to do is enjoy the smashing up?

Not a massive row type issue, we disagree but respect the fact that we don't know what the best answer is to this!

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Original poster

OwlinaTree · 13/04/2018 20:05

Molly there could be something in that.

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catinapoolofsunshine · 13/04/2018 20:09

Owlina I thought you meant he only enjoyed smashing them and doesn't want the chocolate but your DH was insisting he eat it before he can smash another.

It's his chocolate - if he does care about it I agree with you that removing it will lead to him having issues with "treat" food! In that case don't do it!

I don't ration my kids chocolate at all on principle, but luckily they only get it from us and fil so there isn't too much. It's theirs and they eat it when they want, when it's gone, it's gone. Works for us but that's just 2 medium sized rabbits and 5 or 6 small (cream egg sized) hollow eggs. They usually are very free and easy with it and give chunks to us or friends and unbothered once it's gone even if a sibling has some left. If one has some they'll usually offer it to a sibling.

My mother rationed it very strictly and I was obsessed with it until it was gone. One of my sister's hid hers under her bed and kept it til it turned a curdled white and tried to taunt the the rest of us with it. Lots of food issues in the family I grew up in, including chocolate hoarder sister being hospitalised in an adolescent psychiatry unit when her anorexia became life threatening.

Easy come, easy go, is the attitude to chocolate I'm looking for with my kids!

gwenneh · 13/04/2018 20:11

I let them go for it.

Consequently the chocolate is now all gone and no more worries. They had a few bites of each and then got tired of it so I binned it.

catinapoolofsunshine · 13/04/2018 20:13

We have a no food in bedrooms rule though - for everyone, including DH and I. I don't want mice like my parents had, nor ants... The kids keep their chocolate on their place at the dinner table. Works for us but as I say they don't have much to start with.

MollyDaydream · 13/04/2018 20:13

I think I have been lucky that mine don't seem to be possessive? about chocolate/sweets or particularly keep track of how much they have. I do the same with Halloween sweets - it gets eaten on Halloween and any leftovers are forgotten about by the next day.

NormHonal · 13/04/2018 20:14

Melt it and make chocolate krispy cakes!

Original poster

OwlinaTree · 13/04/2018 20:16

He'd notice if I binned it all.

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Original poster

OwlinaTree · 13/04/2018 20:17

I'm hoping he won't be too obsessed by what is 'his' by letting him have control of it.

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booellesmum · 13/04/2018 20:17

I am open mouthed at people throwing chocolate away.
I would let him have mad fun smashing them all then put it all in a Tupperware tub.
Some can be eaten later - it won't go off for ages. Use some for baking cakes or chocolate cornflake cakes, melt some for dipping strawberries in. Pancakes and ice cream with melted chocolate drizzled over?
I'm hungry now.

MollyDaydream · 13/04/2018 20:18

I'd let him smash/eat as much as he likes tomorrow and then get rid of the rest.

catinapoolofsunshine · 13/04/2018 20:21

My mum rationed everything (they were very comfortably off, it wasn't a financial issue) - not just food but the openning of Christmas presents agonisingly spread out and ritualistic, the wearing of new clothes - not til ages after they were bought, the only having half a slice of toast... and lots of other things. She sucked the joy out of everything, so I tend to go the opposite way. I'd definitely let him smash the eggs. What happens to them afterwards is less clear, given he's only 4, but don't be too joyless about it.

Ski4130 · 13/04/2018 20:22

We've made brownies and muffins with the eggs, then shared them with friends we've met up with over half term. My three are a bit older, and the main focus for them is the bars in the egg boxes, the eggs get ignored mostly, hence why I melt them down and use them in baking.

When they were little we sort of let them eat it as and when, but it was out of sight, so they used to forget about them after a while.

Kirta · 13/04/2018 20:23

Let him smash it all up and then bake with it, with him (if you have the patience - I struggle!)
It's a lot to have that much chocolate just to eat, but baking it and sharing it seems a bit less overwhelming! (Really want cake now)

StraplessWonder · 13/04/2018 20:25

Make a big batch of rice crispie cakes and offer them to anyone that comes through the door. We get rid of at least half of our eggs in this way every year.

PinkCalluna · 13/04/2018 20:29

In the past when my children have had too many eggs we’ve agreed that the excess should be given to the local food bank.

The kids know from experience that they won’t eat 15 eggs each so they choose their favourites to eat and give the rest away.

I think binning food is a disgraceful waste.

Chickychoccyegg · 13/04/2018 20:32

I let my kids open a new one each day , they're the same enjoy opening it, maybe eat a bit of the sweet that's in it, enjoy breaking open the egg but tend to eat very little of it- it's an Easter treat no need for it to turn into a big deal, dh and i are always happy to help

42andcounting · 14/04/2018 19:43

Similar position here. My 4yo had 11 eggs and about half a dozen creme egg sized ones, due to very generous family and friends. She's eaten one small buttons sized one, and two creme egg sized, and opened one other "big" egg but only really had a nibble of it. She now wants to open the others, but not eat the chocolate - to be honest she would have rather had pic & mix sweets or a lollipop

Just before Easter I used all of the leftover Christmas chocolate to bake with, will probably end up doing the same again, but I'm quite shocked that people think it should all be eaten or used up by now. She'll probably still be working through it at Halloween

Watching this with interest!!

Original poster

OwlinaTree · 14/04/2018 19:46

Well tonight he actually asked for a bit of his milky bar one out of the tin rather than a new one. He actually choose something different when he opened the tin! I've put all the unopened ones away in the cupboard for now, wonder if he didn't ask because he couldn't see them?

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