3 Tips for When Your Kids Want ALL The Junk Food

While this article has the Purim holiday in mind, the tips certainly apply to Halloween, Easter and all other holidays where junk food reigns supreme. When it comes to these holidays, people I know often hint to me that if I try to limit the quantity of the junk food my kids consume, I AM THE WORST AND MEANEST MOTHER EVER. People will come up to me and tell me that I am scarring my children for life and they will rebel and binge- eat junk food later on.

Honestly, I've heard it all but when you subscribe to the idea that CHILDREN CAN LEARN AND UNDERSTAND THAT THE BODY THRIVES ON HEALTHY FOOD, they themselves can understand that, as a corollary, limiting the junk food is probably a good idea. I'm not nervous about the whole being- a- horrible- mother thing, since thats just bullish*t! We each actively try to do whats best for our kids and I do what I think is best. Period. I don't even bother answering these types of folks.

What I do know is that my kids still enjoy the holiday, they focus on hanging out with friends and family instead of junk and that NO TANTRUMS ARE EVER THROWN SURROUNDING JUNK FOOD. EVER. So, in my mind, we may be doing something right around here and figured I'll offer some helpful tips to get you through the day!

1. Teach kids to choose! The same way I will eat that amazingness fresh piece of sourdough bread at a 5- star restaurant, I let kids decide what junk food has purpose to them! Let them select the one or two things that makes their mouths drool. I let my kids make piles of junk that they LOVE (usually chocolate), junk that they HATE (sugary fake drinks and soda) and junk that is only mildly interesting to them. They are allowed to then select from the junk that they love pile and they stop feeling bad to throw out the rest since it didn't mean much to them anyway.

2. Feed kids real food too! Just because its a snacks and junk holiday doesn't mean they should starve in between houses! I spend extra time feeding them their favorite lunch on Purim so I know they won't eat junk simply because they are hungry. That eliminated part of the problem for us altogether. If you are spending a lot of time in the car, think about bringing along sandwiches, fruit or healthy snacks.

3. Keep things in perspective! Remember that Purim is only 1 day long! Even if kids eat junk food on Purim, the day after Purim is no longer Purim and the junk food should be gone by then....

Any thoughts on this Holiday or any tips for getting kids off junk? Drop a comment below!