"Parenting" news and stories

My husband and visited our favorite local Rio Grande Tex-Mex restaurant on Monday evening. It had been a very long day of traveling back from Park City, Utah and a very long weekend of being surrounded by families enjoying the slopes. Now, I'm not one of those kid haters; they were all very cute with their mini skis and fuzzy hats while they zoomed past me on the beginner's slope.

As we scoured the bar for an adult place to unwind, we quickly realized all the seats were taken and we'd have to actually get a table. Well, no sooner do we get seated and order our margaritas than the hostess sat two women and two children next to us. Wait, I need to rephrase, the women sat and the kids ran all over the place yelling and jumping like wild monkeys. I wish I were exaggerating, but as we sat there the kids, who were between the ages of 8-11, made about ten squealing trips from their table to the tortilla machine, the bathroom, other tables with kids and more. Their moms just sat there sipping margaritas and acting oblivious to the behavior. My jaw dropped, as my chair was bumped into repeatedly, and other patrons stared in disbelief.

This wasn't a one time occurrence for us. I'm starting to witness this more and more in restaurants lately. Is this just something you're numb to once you have kids? Or are kids in charge at restaurants these days? Whatever the case may be, I needed a couple of rounds of Cuervo to get through that meal!

Source

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.

Source

Andrew mentioned a few weeks back that ice cream trucks in England were being prohibited from operating near schools, largely because of "an over-zealous health lobby. " It looks like ice cream trucks are also being target in some parts of New York, but not for the same reasons.

Instead, parents are the ones who want the trucks banned and they aren't protesting their contribution to childhood obesity, but their own inability to refuse the whims of their children. According to the New York Times, "the mothers and fathers and nannies of TriBeCa had tired of passing [the ice cream truck] each day and arguing with their small charges over whether they could or could not have an ice cream. "

It seems amazing that parents who pass by the same temptation with their toddlers every single day repeatedly have the same argument - apparently with the children winning. If they don't want their kids to eat ice cream, they need to say "no." There was an ice cream truck at the park near the elementary school I went to, to, but it's presence didn't mean that ice cream was something I got, or expected to get, every day.

Source

You've been reading our ramblings here at Slashfood for months now, so isn't it about time you get to know us? Over the next few weeks, we'll be playing 20 questions with our Slashfood bloggers, just so you can see what kind of insanity is cooking in our brains. And kitchens. We've already met Nick, Stefania, Andrew, and Joe. This week, we welcome a brand new blogger to Slashfood, Heather Craven.

Do you have a personal blog? 
I do. It mostly chronicles my daily ramblings about my three children and my skills, or sometimes the lack of, parenting them.

What is your day job, or rather, what do you do when you're not food blogging?
I chase my toddler, try to find matching socks for my brood and figure out healthy food choices for us all.

How long have you been blogging with slashfood and what is your favorite post?
I am spanking new on Slashfood. I have been toiling away on The Life Sciences blog since late 2005.

Do you have any non-food-related, non-blogging hobbies?
I live in the mountains of Colorado so we have a fairly active outdoor life. I love to mountain bike, hike and ski. I also love to paint and read.

Not every foodie does, but do you cook?
Not very successfully. I like to accessorize. I can decorate a mean table, make children's food look spectacular and bake fun goodies.

What is your most prized utensil/gadget in the kitchen?
I have a lovely new red tea kettle. Its happy presence has prompted me to buy a red toaster oven and I am pondering the purchase of a red garbage can to round out the color splash.