Grandparents are sugar-pushers!!!

Chattanoogachoo · 08/02/2026 21:22

My grandson has been brought up thinking that interesting fruits like lychees, dragon fruit etc are treats.
He's six and I'm not sure how long this will last but think the longer you can hold off sweets, fizzy drinks etc the better.You need to have your opinions upheld and should make this clear. The addictive nature of sweet things isn't well understood.

MountainBiker · 08/02/2026 21:46

Mine are the same. It's exhausting. And I don't understand why - they didn't give me lots of cakes and sweets etc when I was a child! (And neither did my grandparents). Good luck pushing back against it

Original poster

CheekyMonkey1989 · 08/02/2026 21:47

I had gestational diabetes with both my DCs and it was a total life changing moment for me. What these products do to your blood sugar levels scares me and all the crap they add to them.

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mondaytosunday · 08/02/2026 21:54

I’m didn’t give my son any sweets til he was two. I was less strict with my DD as of course she was around her brother plus her day care used to treat them to ice cream from the van that used to park up outside! Fortunately my parents would never have offered them sweets and my in laws were uninterested.
Tell your parents to stop offering and get you DH to do the same to his.
By the way, my son grew up a carb addict and my DD is super disciplined (as my son is from early teens), so restricting certain foods now is no guarantee they will carry healthy habits forward.

Flatandhappy · 08/02/2026 22:09

Your child your rules. I have looked after DGD weekly since she was 6 months old and she is now 5. I find “we need to ask mummy if you are allowed that” to work well and I know pretty well what my DIL wants her to eat so that’s what I give her and it is mainly pretty healthy food. Interestingly enough DIL’s mum who also looks after her is more inclined to give her sweet treats.

curious79 · 08/02/2026 22:15

Stand firm!
My neighbours never let their kids have sweets and now as teens they eat super healthily vs my lot, where I allowed chocolate and treats to creep in and they’re a bit overweight and unhealthy by contrast

Original poster

CheekyMonkey1989 · 08/02/2026 22:42

My DP always says “wait until you’re a GP you will gift yourself giving the GCs sweet treats” I really don’t think so. I don’t understand how some GPs find the only way to treat their GC is through sugar.

You wouldn’t believe the amount of chocolate my youngest recieved from various family members for Christmas last year at the age of 11m!

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junebirthdaygirl · 08/02/2026 23:00

As a GP l just don't get it. It really annoys me why GPs suddenly lose all their common sense offering stuff they would never have allowed for their own. I read somewhere that if you can keep them pretty sweet free till 3 you have done them a great service. Keep putting your foot down. They are your children!

vladimirVsvolodymr · 08/02/2026 23:07

Mine are a bit older at 10 and 13. What annoys me is after rugby, soccer, swimming etc they are fed tons of sugar/cakes/cookies/ jellies etc. Most of the kids (mine included) leave the lovely sandwiches untouched and dive into the sweets and crisps. The pate ts and coaches end up eating the sandwiches. I wish they would reduce the amount of sweets given.

Mishmosher · 08/02/2026 23:08

curious79 · 08/02/2026 22:15

Stand firm!
My neighbours never let their kids have sweets and now as teens they eat super healthily vs my lot, where I allowed chocolate and treats to creep in and they’re a bit overweight and unhealthy by contrast

But on the contrary my parents never let us have sugar at home so when we got to high school lunch was a 5 pack of doughnuts every day. This continued until well after uni. Nothing but junk.

Just eat a range of foods. No food is ‘naughty’. You’ll end up giving your kids an unhealthy obsession. My parents are still a pair of joy-sucking undereaters. We flatly refuse to eat out with them now. All three of my siblings and I are healthy weights eating a balanced diet - with plenty of sugar - and none of us restrict our kids diets.

Goldenbear · 09/02/2026 00:41

curious79 · 08/02/2026 22:15

Stand firm!
My neighbours never let their kids have sweets and now as teens they eat super healthily vs my lot, where I allowed chocolate and treats to creep in and they’re a bit overweight and unhealthy by contrast

I don't think that's true. Mine eat what they like, they are both really healthy and super slim. However, they are both very good at self regulation and never, ever over eat on any food type.

Goldenbear · 09/02/2026 00:43

Goldenbear · 09/02/2026 00:41

I don't think that's true. Mine eat what they like, they are both really healthy and super slim. However, they are both very good at self regulation and never, ever over eat on any food type.

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I would add that I think they have lucked out on genes as well though.

OlderGlaswegianLivingInDevon · 09/02/2026 00:44

I think you are visiting too much / too often if they are constantly asking.

Cat1504 · 09/02/2026 00:52

CheekyMonkey1989 · 08/02/2026 20:59

Just that really it drives me up the bloody wall!

My youngest DD has only just turned 1 and they are constantly asking can she have chocolate, cake and biscuits when we go round. My answer is always no 😡 They call me a health freak, to some extent I am a bit and you know what I don’t care.

go no contact with them….then they won’t be able to’always’ do this

Cat1504 · 09/02/2026 00:55

curious79 · 08/02/2026 22:15

Stand firm!
My neighbours never let their kids have sweets and now as teens they eat super healthily vs my lot, where I allowed chocolate and treats to creep in and they’re a bit overweight and unhealthy by contrast

My DC and my GC have all eaten chocolates and sweets….my AC now in Their 30s are very slim…my GC are positively skinny….yours must have overeaten….a few sweets and chocolates does not make kids overweight

CrazyGoatLady · 09/02/2026 01:03

Cat1504 · 09/02/2026 00:52

go no contact with them….then they won’t be able to’always’ do this

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You can't be serious? This is really the kind of thing to go no contact over?

Cat1504 · 09/02/2026 01:18

CrazyGoatLady · 09/02/2026 01:03

You can't be serious? This is really the kind of thing to go no contact over?

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I’m taking the piss 🙄

BasiliskStare · 09/02/2026 01:28

@CheekyMonkey1989 - I do feel for you . My late DGM used to make puddings for DS all the time , and homemade biscuits. I asked and asked for her to stop (not completely , but just not all the time) . I'm not sure she took any notice. It frustrated the hell out of me. A few treats, fine , not all the time. Anyway , if it makes you feel better DS now he is older eats sweet things sparingly so I am not sure it did any long term harm . But I do get your point.

Oakbud · 09/02/2026 01:34

Same.
And GM has type 2 diabetes and lots of complications with that.
I don't get it. What would you want that for your gks

CrazyGoatLady · 09/02/2026 01:34

Cat1504 · 09/02/2026 01:18

I’m taking the piss 🙄

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Faur enough, sarcasm doesn't always translate well in the written word! And there probably are mothers on here who would 😬

Flomingho · 09/02/2026 01:44

Your child and the grandparents should respect your wishes . My DH family used to constantly try to encourage DD to eat unhealthy snacks when she was young. Think it was done on purpose because they knew it upset me.

Bearbookagainandagain · 09/02/2026 01:46

Keep going as long as you can, it's absolutely the right decision. We were pretty strict but now wish we had been even stricter with sugar.
We only allowed home made cakes and biscuits from about 2 (low sugar), and then ice cream in summer and some good quality dark chocolate for Easter.

My 4 yo doesn't eat or like candies, fizzy drinks, juice etc despite nursery offering him some, so I'm really glad about that. He definitely consider low sugar homemade biscuits or dark chocolate as treats.

But his level of addiction for sugar is already crazy though. I don't think every child will react that way, but I'm really worried for the future as he has 0 controls over his consumption of chocolate or cake when we go to birthday parties.
His only limit really is the fact we don't have any at home.

Miniaturemom · 09/02/2026 02:23

It’s not uncommon, my mom does this. Never would have guessed she’d be like that before I had children, it’s like some out of character switch flipped, she wasn’t like that with me. The worst thing is that she weaponises it to earn brownie points “it’s ok with me but you’ll have to ask your mom or I might get in trouble” she also criticises MY diet.

Anyway I try to be firm and say no, then change the subject or it will turn into an argument. The few times she has them without me there I let it go, kind of have to if they are doing childcare.

The13thFairy · 09/02/2026 10:13

CheekyMonkey1989 · 08/02/2026 22:42

My DP always says “wait until you’re a GP you will gift yourself giving the GCs sweet treats” I really don’t think so. I don’t understand how some GPs find the only way to treat their GC is through sugar.

You wouldn’t believe the amount of chocolate my youngest recieved from various family members for Christmas last year at the age of 11m!

I'm a grandmother several times over. I looked after them exactly as their parents wanted me to, which included no sweets or chocolate which I don't actually consider a treat anyway. It is beyond me how giving children sugary sweets is seen as such a loving thing to do. Btw, I love 'sugar pushers'.

Katemax82 · 09/02/2026 10:45

Chattanoogachoo · 08/02/2026 21:22

My grandson has been brought up thinking that interesting fruits like lychees, dragon fruit etc are treats.
He's six and I'm not sure how long this will last but think the longer you can hold off sweets, fizzy drinks etc the better.You need to have your opinions upheld and should make this clear. The addictive nature of sweet things isn't well understood.

Edited

I don't disagree with healthy eating but my husband's ex's step aunty didn't let her daughter eat chocolate at all as a kid. As soon as she turned an adult and could eat what she wanted she gained about 5 stones