Saying no to sugar for yourself is one thing, but saying no for your young kids? Talk about walking a fine (parenting) line. Or rather, tightrope.
Just last week we talked about how everyone has an opinion on how other people parent and it’s your choice to fight, compromise, or surrender.
Now we are going to charge face first into one particular area I mentioned: sugar.
The Dilemma of the Trim Healthy Parent
As a Trim Healthy Mama myself, it’s my choice to raise my child (soon to be children) with as minimal sugar as reasonably possible.
No, I don’t always choose the sugar-free option for my child. But it is definitely a goal, definitely something I have fought for and over, and definitely something worth defending.
Most of the dilemma I face as the “sugar free” parent, requiring my child to eat minimal (if any) sugar, is OTHER PARENTS attempting to verbally bully or shame me into surrendering what I feel is best for my child because my opinion doesn’t match theirs.
They make claims about the sugar free child “missing out”, or justify “occasional” sugar by saying it’s “just” _ (fill in the blank). (Just “for the holidays”, just for “birthdays”, just “here and there”.) Which sounds reasonable, on the surface.
But do you know how many special events the average American celebrates every year?
There are ELEVEN U.S. Federal Holidays alone (yes, I looked it up). Please, factor in birthdays now. You know, family birthdays. Friend birthdays. Oh, and don’t forget to throw in at least a handful of special occasions. Vacation. Good grades. A parent’s raise at work. Dining out.
YOWZA!!!
Considering special occasions usually include dessert, dining out often allows for soda, and parties typically have sweets… that adds up to a LOT of sugar, doesn’t it?
Compromise Often Leads to More… Compromise
Those were some scary numbers, if you think about it much.
Even as a Trim Healthy Mama, I struggle to say no to sugar for my child… but it’s quickly evident that compromise or surrender often leads to more compromise or surrender, until you give up completely.
Personally, I often fight or compromise – but ALWAYS try to remember that it’s easier to start out strict and lighten up, than to start light and then go strict.
There is no crime in REASONABLE compromise. Just don’t crumble under the pressure of other parents (at this age, it’s not the children) shoving their opinions at you, UNLESS those opinions truly matter.
No to Sugar
No one can (or should) parent for you. Your child’s diet (for a time) is your decision, and if it’s important to you, then it’s a fight worth having.
Special occasions are a dime a dozen, but your child’s health rests on your shoulders. If being “sugar free” were more mainstream, there might not be so many busybodies shoving their opinions in our faces, but someone has to pave the way for those who come after.
Once upon a time, bell bottom jeans were in and jeggings probably weren’t a thing, but fads change. Someone, somewhere, decided they wanted something different, and it probably wasn’t easy to stand out or not be dressed with the most popular fashion of the time. But look around. Bell bottom jeans are… well, not common anymore.
Eventually, we (or our children) will see a world where health matters, and saying no to sugar might not be so hard. Even with Trim Healthy Mama, we have seen a huge surge of available “on plan” products compared to what the original Trim Healthy Mamas had to start with (or make themselves).
It’s hard to be strict. It’s harder to see your child’s health deteriorate because we made poor choices for them.
Are you a sugar free parent? What does that look like in your household? Let me know in the comments below!
Christian, wife, “hybrid” mama, I run the site All Behind A Smile to help others like me.
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