I am very lucky that I can do my grocery shopping without having to bring my children. The few times that they do come with me, the trip becomes quite stressful.

Why?

Let’s just say even though my kids do not watch a lot of commercials they are still very much attracted to the cartoon figures on the boxes of all the cakes, crackers, chocolate bars and cookies.

I had an experience with my youngest daughter the week before Easter. The store shelves were lined with chocolate bunnies and chocolate cartoon characters. It was crazy trying to get through the store with a child crying for all this junk food. My kids never have this kind of food and if I do let my kids have sweets it has to be homemade with good quality ingredients. This way they get to help, have some fun and learn how to read and follow recipes.

But nevertheless, even though this kind of food never enters our house – my dear daughter wanted junk food very badly.

In the grocery stores, it is the appeal of the box or wrapper that initially makes us buy the product. Kids are the same and are drawn to cartoons, yummy looking pictures, sweets and bright colors.

If your child asks for junk do you cave in and buy it? Do you bring it home and have a treat yourself?

One day I was walking through the aisles of the grocery store when I noticed a preteen girl putting junk food in her family’s grocery cart. As her mother was moving the cart down the aisle, she was putting all the junk food back on the shelves! Could you do this?

When my daughter had this little grocery store episode, our conversation went a little like this…

“Mom, can I have this chocolate?”

“No”

“Mom, can I have this candy?”

“No”

“Mom, can I have that bunny…?”

“No”

“Mom, can I have those cookies…?”

“No”

Then she came across some non food stuffs and asked to have a disposable camera. And I said “yes”.

This was totally unexpected and she was thrilled to have this disposable camera she could play with. With that camera in her hand, the junk food aisles disappeared in her eyes.

What do you think?

• How do you handle your child’s junk food cravings?
• What do you think about how food is being marketed to children?
• Do your kids have a say in what food you buy?

Feel free to share your thoughts,

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