The Candy Corn Story
2012
There was a time when I would never, ever, ever buy candy corn because it’s crap, junk, has nothing nutritional to offer. You know the drill. It would take a friend, a bowl of candy corn and one desperate kid to change how I looked at it.
On Halloween while at a friend's house Austin asked if he could have some of the candy corn from the bowl she had on the counter. She enthusiastically replied, “Sure! Have as much as you want!” Austin proceeded to shovel candy corn into his mouth and put what wouldn't fit in his mouth into his pockets. Watching this unfold I knew something was wrong. It wasn't addiction, it was desperation. I did that. I made my kid desperate for candy corn.
Our friend sent Austin home with a bag of candy corn and I started to buy it when he asked. It did not take long for the novelty to wear off and once it wasn't forbidden Austin told me that it didn't taste very good. He said it tasted like wax. By changing the way I looked at things and looking at my real, live child standing in front of me- not a child from a study- I took away the appearance of addiction.
Since then we have provided an abundance of candy and chips and soda in the house. We have played with it, having a homemade vs. store bought candy contest and a "name that soda" blind taste test. I've taken Austin to candy stores to try new candy or get some favorites. These things are always in the house now. He can go get a Twix bar whenever he wants to and yet our bowl of Twix sits full. When he wants one he'll eat one. When he wants four, he'll eat four. He feels no fear or shame about a Twix bar.
Austin is a happy, healthy ten-year-old boy. Limiting his choices to only food I approve of would diminish the happy part of that sentence. It would make him feel small and incapable of making decisions about his own body. It would cause him to go behind my back to get the things he wants. I don't want any of that for him. Looking at the bigger picture- if letting him eat Cheetos now without shame makes him a happier adult then I say eat away, because food guilt sucks and I have enough for the two of us.
The reality in our home is that Austin gets to eat what he wants to eat. He is being raised by a health conscious vegetarian so there are tons of healthy options in the house. Austin rarely chooses to eat greens or fruit, but they are there. We talk about food and health. He's not ignorant to the advantages of eating broccoli and apples. He just doesn't like them right now. Maybe he never will. Who knows? I have a hard time with the idea that making Cheetos terrifying makes a salad look any more appetizing though.
There was a time when I would never, ever, ever buy candy corn because it’s crap, junk, has nothing nutritional to offer. You know the drill. It would take a friend, a bowl of candy corn and one desperate kid to change how I looked at it.
On Halloween while at a friend's house Austin asked if he could have some of the candy corn from the bowl she had on the counter. She enthusiastically replied, “Sure! Have as much as you want!” Austin proceeded to shovel candy corn into his mouth and put what wouldn't fit in his mouth into his pockets. Watching this unfold I knew something was wrong. It wasn't addiction, it was desperation. I did that. I made my kid desperate for candy corn.
Our friend sent Austin home with a bag of candy corn and I started to buy it when he asked. It did not take long for the novelty to wear off and once it wasn't forbidden Austin told me that it didn't taste very good. He said it tasted like wax. By changing the way I looked at things and looking at my real, live child standing in front of me- not a child from a study- I took away the appearance of addiction.
Since then we have provided an abundance of candy and chips and soda in the house. We have played with it, having a homemade vs. store bought candy contest and a "name that soda" blind taste test. I've taken Austin to candy stores to try new candy or get some favorites. These things are always in the house now. He can go get a Twix bar whenever he wants to and yet our bowl of Twix sits full. When he wants one he'll eat one. When he wants four, he'll eat four. He feels no fear or shame about a Twix bar.
Austin is a happy, healthy ten-year-old boy. Limiting his choices to only food I approve of would diminish the happy part of that sentence. It would make him feel small and incapable of making decisions about his own body. It would cause him to go behind my back to get the things he wants. I don't want any of that for him. Looking at the bigger picture- if letting him eat Cheetos now without shame makes him a happier adult then I say eat away, because food guilt sucks and I have enough for the two of us.
The reality in our home is that Austin gets to eat what he wants to eat. He is being raised by a health conscious vegetarian so there are tons of healthy options in the house. Austin rarely chooses to eat greens or fruit, but they are there. We talk about food and health. He's not ignorant to the advantages of eating broccoli and apples. He just doesn't like them right now. Maybe he never will. Who knows? I have a hard time with the idea that making Cheetos terrifying makes a salad look any more appetizing though.
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