Do I think Grandma is making kids fat these days? No – that would be the hidden sugar laced in most foods by giant corporations.

Weren’t they carrying on last week about how grandparents thought parents were spoiling their kids too much? If you’re worried about how many snacks the grandparents give your kids then say something. If they don’t listen then limit how much they see the kids. They will cotton on pretty quickly that you are the parent and the boss.

Our parents live in Europe, so our kids didn’t see their grandparents in years.
It’s the parents that feed their kids and fill the kids lunchboxes and when I look to the lunchboxes these days, I think it’s packed with a lot of junk (crisp, chips, crackers, cookies, cupcakes, lollies, chocolate, juices, muesli bars, white breads and what more), adding the breakfast cereals (highly processed and containing lots of sugar) it’s not strange that kids now a days are more obese.
Also we’re more wealthy these days and have more access to food. Sometimes kids want to eat all the time and we have to teach them they don’t have to eat all the time.

Everything in moderation, including moderation, is what my grandfather used to say. If a child has a balanced diet and eats healthy main meals, including whilst with grandparents, then how is the biscuit tin a problem?

Maybe the issue isn’t the biscuit, maybe it’s the activity levels? When we were at our grandparents as kids we were kicked outside to play. Over 50% of our day was on play equipment in their yard or helping with gardening or farm chores (collecting eggs, feeding calves). We earned that biscuit.

So, I wonder if parents are dropping kids to grandparents with digital devices and is it the big picture lifestyle factors that actually make the extra treats a problem?

Back to my grandfather’s saying though, if grandparents aren’t giving treats in moderation, then maybe parents need to have their kids visit them in moderation instead!?!

I feel quite the opposite! As the generations progress, more and more is learnt of the good and bad foods for kids, and with each generation, a higher awareness of the dangers/complications/etc is passed through the family. I don’t believe grandparents spoil their grandchildren nowadays but more so encourage them to eat regular and healthy alternatives.

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  • • mom93821 replied
    • 17 Nov 2017 , 6:33 am

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  This is our experience too – healthy eating with sometimes treats.

No grandparents around so I don’t know if they would have spoiled their granddaughter or not.

Not our experience at all – treats are just treats.

Grandparents are often very unwilling to respect parental wishes around things like food.

Grandparents do spoil the young ones when they visit but l don’t believe it makes them fat!