10 year-old girl hiding food

[lovecheese]

DD has always had a sweet tooth. I let her have sweets and chocolate etc in moderation but just recently I have been finding sweet and biscuit wrappers either hidden in her bedroom or in the spare room (That I will have bought, she is not spending her own money on them). Now, as much as all the damage she is doing to her teeth it is the sneakiness that has made me angry, sad actually becuase for most of the time we have a good relationship. Do I blow my top with her? Ban her from anything sweet until she stops doing it? Any advice appreciated.

I've had this with DD (and DS2, respectively now 9 & 6). Sneaky raids of cupboards, licking the sugar spoon when no one is looking, pinching each other's sweets on occasion.

They very recently scoffed (with DS 3yo) a whole bag of sweets recently that were supposed to be saved for later (sigh).

I used to pinch cookies, too, when I was little -- so I kind of understand it's normal.

I put a lock on the treat cupboard, and I buy much more boring treat things nowadays.

There is a physiological reason why sweets are so much more compelling for children (their tastebuds are different from adult ones).

I always scold & rant at them a bit, but try not to make it into a huge issue.

Watching with interest as my daughter's 12 and does the same, although with her, she has a brace and the limit on chocolate/sweets/fizzy drinks is medical .

I find family size chocolate wrappers hidden in her drawers, biscuit wrappers, sweet wrappers hidden away. Bars of chocolate in the house that mysteriously disappear sometimes. She insists they are bought in town with friends and shared. (She uses her own money)
I don't believe it for a second.

Now I'm a bit of a chocoholic myself and know that when something is forbidden, you crave it more. I've calmly told her that she needs to be so careful because of her brace and that the dentists advice is for a reason.
I've also tackled her about stuff that disappears and it makes me cross when she won't admit to taking it. That's simple enough to deal with, I just won't buy it.

But it's on deaf ears. I'm still finding wrappers and trying not to flip my lid as she spoons three sugars into her coffee...

I should add she's as thin as a rake. Life isn't fair.