How much of these things do you consider a treat?

[LajesticVantrashell]

Person A has done/given/bought her DC the following this weekend. Person B thinks this is excessive and that they're all treats which should be given rarely and sporadically.

1. McDonald's
2. Soft play
3. Swimming
4. A new book
5. A small bag of jelly sweets
6. A magazine

This is in between an afternoon in the park, a walk up a hill and some down time playing at home.

How often do your DCs do/have the above?

In our house the only one considered a treat is the magazine. Everything else is things we do/buy regularly anyways, except soft play because she's a bit old for it now.
It all depends on time and budget.

Treats aren't treats if they're constant...

that's the point, and books are not seen as a treat here. It doesn't hurt to declutter your book collection from time to time either, and kids grow up so fast, they move on to the next level constantly, no need to keep much until they are at least young adults.

The sweets and the magazine I see as treats, the girls don’t get bought sweets too often plus we have some in at home so rarely buy.

McDonald’s I see as a convenience when time is tight or we are out and about, I wouldn’t see if as a treat because it’s shite, nor do they have it a lot (again, because it’s shite).

Soft play and swimming and a new book I’d happily have part of our usual weekends - all either fun or educational so I’m happy to spend my money on them more often than a bag of sweets or a magazine!

@Unihorn, yes, chocolate bar or something outside meals every couple of weeks, that seems quite often to me .

They get something sweet for pudding after meals, but that's not a treat, it's part of the meal.

Whathappenedtothelego wow we have chocolate most days in this house, although that's more me than anyone else i suppose

@WTFdidwedo

We also have chocolate every day! I'm very easy going. I was an overweight child and all treat food was banned from the house..it just made me binge when I did have access to it...so I don't turn it into a big deal. Both my DC are a healthy weight.

Is it even person B’s business?

I would sooner scoop my eyeballs out with spoons than go to softplay but I still don’t think it’s hugely indulgent to do/buy those things over the course of a weekend.

If it was EVERY weekend we might ask whether this family might join a library or run around outside instead of softplay and buying books — but the weather has been vile recently and if you are solo parenting a couple of lively kids for a whole wet weekend, I think this perfectly reasonable.

1. McDonald's - once a month through necessity (meal on the way home from school late)
2. Soft play - treat in the holidays
3. Swimming - weekly swimming lessons
4. A new book - fortnightly
5. A small bag of jelly sweets - treat - this is v occaisional in our house
6. A magazine - v occaisional

Quite a lot in one weekend but each one isn’t too extravagant. I think it depends what you do other weekend. If that was every weekend I’d think it was way too much. If the next couple of weekends they only got say one of those things then not too much.

who are we to judge ?

1. McDonald's is food not a treat, I don’t believe in rewarding with food...not that it’s given frequently hahaha
2. Soft play - activity
3. Swimming - activity
4. A new book - learning
5. A small bag of jelly sweets - see mcds answer/pocket money spend
6. A magazine - pocket money spend

If I don’t have the money the above doesn’t happen if i do then it does.
I have done all above in one weekend

I read that list to my 9 year old
Son and asked him whether each one is a treat or normal every day ....

All six were treats!

But I don't deliberately restrict them - it's just that we do other things not on that list!

For me as a child any one of those things would have been a treat and I would have loved them.
For my children its a pretty standard weekend and they wouldn't think of it as a treat.
It really is no one elses business though, passing comment on it is just plain rudeness

1. McDonald's - very rarely maybe once every few months
2. Soft play - they are too old but when younger we’d go once in school holidays
3. Swimming - not a treat and DCs went every week when younger
4. A new book - not a treat they could and still can, have books whenever they want
5. A small bag of jelly sweets - once a week treat if a small bag
6. A magazine - again encourages reading so maybe once per fortnight because kids mags are expensive.

Personally loo rolls and hand sanitizer would be a treat..

Mcdonalds/eating out - maybe once every other weekend on average but still definitely seen as a treat
Swimming/softplay - would do one of these in a weekend, especially if raining, both would be unusual but not unheard of. Still seen as a treat
Sweets or more likely Chocolate or ice cream are fairly frequent.. Ice cream is seen as a treat but a bit of choc is pudding
Magazine - monthly subscription, so not a treat but a present
Books - I tend to buy a whole load at once

All pretty standard in my house. I wouldn’t class any as a real treat.

I wouldn’t give McDonalds because it’s gross, not because I think it’s a treat - but nothing else would I consider to be a particular treat!

McDonalds, Soft play and a magazine are all treats here.

For us:

McDonalds: not a treat but not a regular meal. Usually after a sports event or late training.

Swimming: depends. Water park type swimming pool then a treat, maybe once every couple of months or a few times in school holidays.

Soft play: thankfully my two are too old for this now, definitely a treat.

Magazine- a treat- and they are usually not very good. Older child gets The Week Junior if she asks and I wouldn’t class this as a treat.

New book- depends. I will usually buy DC a book if we’re shopping and they ask and see something good, but if it got too often I’d have to start saying no as they’re expensive!

Small bag of jelly sweets: can’t get too worked up about this one- probably a Friday treat in our house. But DC had some left over from a big bag from the weekend so had some today, on a normal Monday!

@lily2403 "food not a treat, I don’t believe in rewarding with food" I agree with this so much.

Apart from McDonald’s which is rare then the rest sounds like a normal weekend to me!!

McDonalds, sweets, and magazine would be treats. We rarely go swimming but that's because of the very limited opening times at our local pool. Soft play is near constant.

I must spoil my kids, with the exception of the McDonalds