to not want people to buy easter eggs for my DC's?

[Shaniece]

They had in total 7 Easter eggs each. I really don't want my DC's scoffing loads of chocolate and I won't eat it. Do you think it would be rude of me to ask (next year), for people to either not buy anything at all or buy something else? Such as clothes or a toy?

you cant expect people to buy fairtrade presents just cos you believe in it! (Even though that would be nice), anymore than i can expect people to buy vegetarian just because i am a veggie

Oh and keepcalm, you have proved my point exactly. You cant manage moderation because you grew up in a house where chocolate wasnt allowed.

If children are brought up on healthy diets from a young age but also where nothing is forbidden, then they dont want to over indulge on goodies, how ever many are in the cupboard

FFS

is it really worth complaining about?

they are chocolate EGGS.

Get a grip.

lol at bellyup. I know.

i know my 3.5 ds son had 8.. it was insane... why would you give a child a choc egg the size of his head!!

I agree totally with every point that carmenelectra has made, especially the fact that keepcalmandcarryon proves that rigid policing of chocolate is counter productive! You say that you can't manage moderation and you are going to pass on the problem to your DCs! I have no problem at all with moderation, I never buy myself chocolate, only like dark chocolate and would never have more than a couple of chocolates a day. My DSs are similar, it is very rarely that they buy themselves sweets. They haven't had the 'excitement'of 'forbidden fruits'.
Children need to be free to work things out by themselves, for example I loathe Cadbury's cream eggs so do my DSs-we all know this because we have tested them out ourselves and made up our own minds! I haven't made the decision to throw them in the bin! It all seems very killjoy and rigid to me. I am quite fascinated as to which brands fall into the 'crap' chocolate category? You need to find your own taste,mine has constantly changed over my life but it has been my decision-I haven't had my mother telling me what I should and shouldn't like!
I try and buy fairtrade products but I don't always and I wouldn't dream of dictating which brands people choose to give as a present or be as greedy as to say buy a present instead of eggs.

if anyone asks what sort of eggs, I ask for small ones. and then I hide them away and ration for months

Thanks abbey. You sound very sensible.

I admit to feeling uneasy about the excess, not just at this time of year either, but it is quite difficult not to be gracious about accepting gifts.

I think the sensible thing to do is donate the ones you don't think you'll use, ration a few, and use the rest in cooking. Even if you only ever use Swiss, you children will enjoy dipping fruit into a choccie fondue once in a while.

DD had 7 eggs (3 from my mother) and she's only 2! I personally don't mind if people want to buy her an egg. But I have put them in a cupboard and will allow her a small bit every week. That's if DH hasnt eaten them all before

Just read through Carmen elctra and Abbeys posts. I must admit I am probably more inclined to be like you both. I havent banned any food but I do limit it by hiding it in the cupboard because DD is only 2. At the moment I only have her to think of (although I think I may be in the beginnings of labour with DC2 but thats another story). I dont have an opinion on what other parents chose to do about chocolate. Its up to them and to be honest its something we are all put under a great deal of pressure to deal with these days with little guidance. So whatever decision a parent makes should be respected. I have two friends who deal with it differently and I have tried to go somewhere in between. One friend wouldnt allow her DS to ever have any choc or sweets, etc. He is now 6 and has the odd thing. I found this a little draconian and worried it would make more out of that sort of stuff than is necessary. On the other hand I have a friend who feeds her children crisps, constantly. As far as eating disorders go I think they are way more complex than just what you were or weren't allowed to eat when you were young. Theres all sorts of factors involved.

Personally I find it really hard to control and as I say DD is only 2. I get round it by carrying a supply of healthy snacks everywhere like raisins, dried cranberries, sandwiches and fresh fruit so I offer these first. But depsite this if DD sees another child with crips she will want them. I say no but it can still be hard. I plan on teaching her about healthy eating and hopefully to instill some sort of sense of balance about what she eats but the rest may well be up to her.

No I've never bought an easter egg for anyone else's children, unless they have been staying in our house on easter night, then obviously the easter bunny provides for them too. And I tell/ask the parents in advance. Oh and I've done easter egg hunts that other children have been invited to. Wouldn't cross my mind to hand out eggs to other people's kids otherwise... it isn't my place to. They don't need the excess. That is the POINT!
LOLOLOL at the idea that I'm setting my kids up for a lifetime of eating disorders because they only get a generous haul of chocolate on easter and not 5 cheap-as-chips easter eggs to scoff over the next 3 weeks. Ha! Bet you are the sorts of mothers who hand burgers and chips to their kids through the school gates instead of sullying their palates with vegetables aren't you, admit it .

pph

no way would i hand out burgers through the school gates!lol

My God, that truly is awful. We dont usually eat stuff like burgers to be honest! Or stacks of choc, but if ds wants to at Easter, thats fine. He doesnt normally eat loads of any junk, so i say yes when he wants it. Obviously if he would only eat junk or asked for it all the time then i wouldnt give in, but he doesnt.

Those parents at the school gates have to do this i suppose cos they have brought their kids up to be so unhealthy and unwilling to try new, healthy foods, they have no choice or their kids wouldnt eat anything at lunch. By that stage its hard to change kids isnt it.

PPH -I do not hand out burgers and chips at the school gates!!
We hardly ever have chips at home and only burgers if they are homemade, but they have been to McDonalds on occasions.
By her own admission keepcalmandcarryon can't handle chocolate as an adult, she either has to abstain or goes to excess and it transpires that she was forbidden chocolate as a child-she is now doing the same to her DC-who will probably go on to have food issues.
My family eat a healthy balanced diet, we get plenty of exercise and we are not fat. I have just had my cholesterol and it was very low. My DSs are on the skinny side. We don't, as a whole, eat processed foods, I hardly ever fry and we have lots of fruit and veg. That is day in day out; if I get a bit stressed at work I might take the lazy way out and buy a pizza, but it is not often.
Vegetables the DSs don't like are disguised in soups, sauces etc.
Because we follow a healthy diet most of the time and are not overweight I don't see any harm in having a bit too much chocolate at Easter-it is not going to make a slim, healthy child obese. I equally doen't go into panic mode if they have a biscuit or crisp! I believe in setting by example not in setting up 'good' and 'bad'foods.
You have to use common sense, I wouldn't give a 2 year old a whole egg! I would expect a nine year old to handle his own eggs.
I firmly believe that rigid policing of food is counter productive and that moaning about eggs at Easter spoils the occasion.

I agree. I've said it in a couple of previous threads re chocolate eggs.
I'd just say ' please don't buy the children chocolate, but if you feel you'd like to, then give them an alternative gift like colouring pencils and book'.
You get my drift anyway. My children don't get chocolate for allergy reasons, but I don't expect them to get alternatives either. My Ds 9.5 does NOT ask about chocolate eggs. He's very sensible about it. Dd too young to know. I certainly know when they've had a piece of chocolate though!!!

I don't think that anyone would have a problem with that solo, my nephew can't have it for allergy reasons-I simply get him an alternative.

Hey abbey, i like the fact you said a 9 yr old can handle is own eggs! That tickled me Its true though. My ds is 8 and i dont really have to police him. They are in the fridge and garage, not under lock and key. He still asks though, but i would usually say yes.

And of course allergies are a totally different thing

genuinely interested at the gamut of opinions here! completely agree with Carmen and Abbey's points on 'forbidden fruits' - this is where I came from and I don't think I am doing this with my DC's - I am AIMING for a 'generous haul' as Princess PH described it BUT not wheelbarrow like quantities to be devoured over next three weeks.

Out of interest I just asked DS1 (8) what he would think if a child was given 7 easter eggs, and he replied, "he would be really lucky" . Then asked him if he was given 7, when would he eat them? He replied "half one day, half the next, till they are all gone".

Quite pleased with that as a response.

I'd also concur with and restate hatricks point that we are all doing the best we can for our kids!

Keepcalm

My ds1(8) would say the same. Today he has eaten about a quarter of a shell of egg, a creme egg and a tube of Smarties.Quite a lot compared to what he would normally have,but not exactly shit loads i dont think. But probably i will get slated on here for it being too much!lol

Hatrick,

It isnt all about gorging on junk for us either. We had a Easter egg hunt which ds was excited about, plus the tooth fairy came(double whammy)! But the main thing he was looking forward to was his lamb roast dinner(he kept coming in the kitchen asking when it was done!) and watching Terry Pratchett's 'The Colour of Magic' with his dad. We arent just total pigs.

He also knows the meaning of Easter and why we celebrate which i was so glad after watching GMTV the other day where they went out on the streets and only one person knew

Oh and i meant to say that i get a bit annoyed with what other people do sometimes with their own families because they can get a bit 'holier than thou' about supposedly junk food.I think this can only backfire in the end, personally. I even asked dp about the Easter egg debate and he said if they get loads cant they just have a bit each day till they are gone? Well, yes. exactly!

I dont consider anything junk food, be it chocolate or McDonalds, just that some people have 'junk diets'.

I suspect ds1 pulled his tooth on Saturday, it did seem to go from being a bit loose to being totally out. Wouldnt be surprised if if got hold of the pliers.

Im just glad he still believes at age 8