I am ashamed to say I've learned that my ds feels left out and othered because I'm too strict about junk food. He's with me 50% and his dad the other 50% and as his dad relies almost entirely on things like frozen pizzas and pot noodles, I've clearly gone too far in the opposite direction in trying to compensate. He is very active and is a healthy weight and not at all fussy so I want to change my approach, while keeping him healthy. I have a couple of questions:
What is a reasonable amount of junk food over the course of say a week? Sweets, crisps, biscuits, sugary cereals etc. I googled this and all I find are articles saying try to limit this stuff. That's not what I need to hear!
And how do you manage this at home when there is so much available when not under your control? There seems to be a constant influx from parties, school sales, well meaning friends and relatives giving treats. If I let him spend his pocket money on sweets as he'd like he'd spend the lot on big bags of Haribos. It feels like whack a mole trying to keep junk food at bay so I need tips on opening the gates in a manner that won't be damaging to my son's health and habits. Help!