Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Just call me The Buzz Killer


We ate a lot of candy over Easter. In fact I'm considering taking out a 2nd mortgage on my ass. Sad, but true. We can just call it thigh thumpers - when your thighs bump, bump unto themselves. But, enough self-flagellation. This too shall pass.

BOY loves sugar. LOVES IT. We don't have a lot of it on a regular basis. We have dessert night 2-3 nights a week, occasionally go out for ice cream and on rare occasions have candy. On Saturday we went over to a friend's house for an Easter egg hunt and lunch. There were 2 big bowls of jelly beans on the dining room table. There WERE 2 big bowls. BOY managed to deplete the jelly bean count by possibly hundreds. Twice I arrived on the scene to find him scooping up a large fistful out of the bowl and...stuffing them in his mouth. He was OBSESSED. The bowls of jellybeans were moved out of reach, by a woman, who by now was giving me the YOU REALLY SUCK AS A MOM stare. Which always makes me feel like I have to say something. But...why do I do that!?

We don't have candy often, so this is a real treat for him, I say.

Well, that's your problem. My kids have it ALL THE TIME, so they don't even pay attention to it anymore, says she of Superior MomAtude.

Apparently, having candy only occasionally is a problem. The conversation ended, because I walked out of the room fairly ANNOYED. Did I ask for her advice? Do I want it? Is there something wrong with not letting my children's young bodies be fed candy ALL THE TIME? I mean, isn't that making a healthy choice?

Easter is a special occasion and so we let BOY & GIRL have a good amount of candy that day. But, then it is over. Or maybe not... I was talking to a friend about this today -have you noticed that people are offering your kids candy left and right? Everywhere you go. Doctor's offices, gymnastic classes, store keepers, strangers in the grocery store. And when you turn down their offer they react as if YOU are the odd one. You're being judged for not letting your child have candy. Correct me if I'm wrong, but last time I checked candy wasn't part of the food pyramid. Candy doesn't help build strong muscles and bones. Yet, I'm the one with the problem. Yep. Just call me The Buzz Killer.


submit to reddit

23 comments:

  1. I can't believe she said that, in that way, especially.

    Yeah, my kids eat candy (or cookies) too often, but I wouldn't say it dropped off the radar as a result (hardly). And if her kids don't pay attention to it? Why did she say they have it ALL THE TIME?

    You've shown some remarkable restraint these last couple of weeks. People (like at the grocery store) are kinda bitchy.

    Sounds like you should get a buzz going...

    ReplyDelete
  2. THANK-YOU
    from one buzz killer to another.
    MY kids have never really even eaten chocolate and you are right, candy is everywhere. IT is so hard to politely turn it down. Spud would have been up on the table with boy scarfing them beans.
    Then he would have spent the night throwing up.
    (This has happened more than once)
    What I don't get is why am I judged because I am doing something that is good for my kids health?
    Hello?
    What does misery love company?

    ReplyDelete
  3. So your damned if you do, damned if you don't?

    ReplyDelete
  4. You are SUCH a bad mother! ;-) I am always amazed by how willing everyone is to tell you how to live!

    ReplyDelete
  5. We managed to keep all candy out of the Queen's mouth until her first Easter egg hunt at age 2 1/2. And even then it took her awhile to discover there was candy INSIDE the plastic eggs. So of course, her brother was approximately 11 months old when she fed him his first bit of chocolate. And we potty trained her using the bribe of pink jelly beans (sigh). We keep a supply of hershey kisses on hand for a chocolate emergency (usually mine), but only if they ask, and they don't ask every day.
    What we get odd looks about is that we don't allow them to have soda. It appalls me to see kids who can barely walk sucking down a medium MOUNTAIN DEW at Burger King. People look at me very strangely when I order the kids' meals with applesauce and milk instead of fries and soda (or pop as it's called around here). I'm from Tennessee, where everything is a Coke.

    ReplyDelete
  6. People are sure full of nerve! I am impressed with your restraint-there must have been a snarky reply just aching to jump out at her.

    Society really needs to just let parents parent their own kids and mind their own business.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Fairly annoyed? FAIRLY? WTH is wrong with that lady? RUDE much? I admire you for taking the high road in these situations.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Add me to the buzz kill list. It drives me insane that if I do errands with the kids they are offered about 13 lbs. of candy over a 2 hour morning. And I have gotten "that look" many times before. It's not that I want them sugar-free, I would rather be the one that spontaneously drops by the ice cream store, but I can't because they just ingested 13 lbs. of sugar. The one that kills me is church. They hand out a "snack" which equals candy or cookies right before the service. Ya, good plan. 3 boys sit really still filled with sugar.

    ReplyDelete
  9. That you didn't tell her to shut her yap and cram a fork in her eye is a testament to how much you rule.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Wow, love your new graphics! I wish I were that good at...graphics! Thanks for your note, I have just had to travel a lot this month for my husband's work but am getting back to blogging. Looking forward to catching up on your writing!

    ReplyDelete
  11. What a twit. I don't get the whole parent judgement thing. Aren't most of us just doing the best that we can?

    ReplyDelete
  12. umm...I don't think you have a problem.

    further, my kids eat plenty of candy and they would be dreaming of grabbing fistfuls of jelly beans, if not actually doing so, only because they're a bit older.

    I always say "no" to candy offered out in public. Doling out the sweets is my territory - gotta win them back over by the end of the day, right?

    ReplyDelete
  13. You ever see War of the Roses? Where Kathleen Turner keeps handing the kids lollipops, telling Michael Douglas that "that way they won't want it"? And then the kids become morbidly obese? Should tell that woman to put it in her Netflix queue.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hi, I am the Supreme Buzz Kill. At 16 months Dylan has had NO candy, chocolate only in the form of a taste of cake at birthday parties, and only part of an Eat N Park smiley cookie. But if you really want to make people look at you like you have 2 heads, tell them the only tv you let your child watch is signing videos.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I am right there with you!
    I am queen buzz killer lol! I made the Sunday School teachers pass out stickers instead of candy...PARENTS were livid and candy came back.
    When we are faced with the candy, I tell my kids they can have a yummy real treat from Whole Foods later in the week or that piece of 'chemically enhanced plastic'--that usually does the trick ;)

    ReplyDelete
  16. I am so with you. When my father and stepmother found out that I throw away easter candy after one week they were horrified. They told my son to take his candy in his room because it was his and that night he ate it all...yep every last egg, jelly bean and bunny. That was the last time he took any candy in his room. Now I hide it.

    ReplyDelete
  17. my kids eat candy with some regularity. boy will only eat m&ms and girl will eat anything she can get her hot, little hands on. i have given up caring. that's probably the wrong attitude, but i have a couple of more pressing matters to attend to!

    ReplyDelete
  18. yeah. i'm sorry, but having it around does not curb their appetite -- or mine! that woman was out of line.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Hey - I just love your site!! I sat there for a few minutes looking at the darling painting - I just love it and all the great details. How nice to be able to use the painting and incorporate it into your blog - it looks great - I love all of it!! So glad you finally have it done and it looks so great. See you soon. Kellan

    PS I need me a signature - I love yours!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Wow you are classy calm. Tell rude lady there's an obesity epidemic thanks to her train of thought in case she hadn't noticed!

    Buzz Killer should totally be a blog name! :)

    ReplyDelete
  21. I think it's not so much that you're a buzz killer as a bitch magnet. They really are finding you lately.

    "My kids have candy all the time..." WTF?

    ReplyDelete
  22. Hmmmm....I had a mom say almost the same thing to me once about video games. Apparently limiting the children's exposure to video games is a problem too.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Forgive me, but what you encountered was a bitch with children whose teeth are falling out. We don't keep candy around either.

    ReplyDelete

This blog is no longer taking comments.

Copyright © 2007-2014 JCK.



The content on these pages is the sole property of the author and may not be used or reproduced in any manner without consent.

All Rights Reserved.