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At Blogging Baby, a blogger admitted to bribing her kids with food on occasion, to ensure good behavior. Many commenters supported this decision and said that they do the same thing. Most were rewarding their small children with something equally small, like a single M&M or a Pez, and a few used foods like french fries and ice cream. But a toddler can be more easily satisfied with a single small candy than a four or seven year old, so at some point, the system either must stop or escalate.
One commenter said that she relied on healthier treats, like pretzels and fruit, for her kids but giving kids healthy foods did not seem to be the most popular choice.
Is this reliance on treats, especially candies, hurting kids when it comes to developing healthy eating habits later in life? Isn't it establishing food as a reward, a system that has led to the often-cited "obesity epidemic" in kids? It is true that the 4.5 calories in one M&M won't make a huge difference over time, but if that turns into a pack a day habit at some point, it certainly could have an impact on the child's health and the way they perceive food in general.
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8-04-2006 @3:26PM rainey said... Both as a person who grew up with very emotion-laden ideas about food (my father was severely deprived of food as an adolescent in the Depression era and our meals were all highly charged) AND a ex-preschool teacher I have to give a resounding YES to Nicole's well-conceived concluding questions.
Food has NO place as a reward. Not only does someone who engages in this (and both parents and, sadly, teachers do this deliberately) teach poor food habits, they're confusing controlling with teaching. The reward eclipses the real learning that comes from having the whole choice/consequence sequence and the ante will always go up as kids want more candy and bigger rewards instead of ever developing the pride of mastering information and themselves.
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8-04-2006 @8:08PM Robyn said... I agree this is probably not very healthy, but since I'm not a parent, I wouldn't speak out too strongly against it. Parents do a lot of things that go against even their own ideals just to handle the reality of kids. So I don't think this is ideal, but... *shrug*
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8-06-2006 @9:24AM mella said... I agree that this is not an ideal way of reinforcing good behavior in children, but as the mother of a two-year-old, I have to admit to resorting to it on occasion. My son is a messy eater, so I've taken to telling him before each meal that he may have dessert if he makes it through the meal without throwing or smashing his dinner. Granted, in our house, dessert is just as likely to be fresh fruit as anything else. While this may not be the best way to manage his behavior, it is the only one that has worked out in reality. However, should healthy snacks be used as rewards? Fruit and veggies are always available to my little one, not just when I want to reward him.
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