I am so blessed that Avery has such loving and active Grandparents that love to take Avery (without Brent and I) to spend time together. She literally glows with excitement on these special days!!! As soon as Grandma and Grandpa walk in the door, I drill them with my usual speech “No Junk”, to which Avery knowingly smiles, and my requests fall on deaf ears. I love that her Grandparents spend “special time” with her; but I hate that my kid comes back from Grandma’s a Sugar Filled Demon that I have to deal with. More often then not, she comes back; cranky, tired, moody; in a few instances she has either thrown up or gotten a cold a day or two after this fun adventure…….. Awesome!!!!
It is my only gripe with Avery’s Grandparents, and as I talk to my friends, I realize that I am not alone. They too have the same feelings, about the Sugar I.V. that is pumped into our kids the second they start hanging with the ol’ Blue Hairs. The truth is…… you are our parents, so it is hard for us to let you know how mad you are making us. Sooooo…I am going to take one for the Millennial team and tell you what is up… Time to bust out your +2 reading glasses and take note. I am going to ensure that you not only stop pissing off your kids; but that you get the coveted “World’s Greatest Grandparent” Mug for Christmas:
Keep Reading for my Top 3 Do’s and Dont’s
- Don’t: Turn me into the bad guy; when you pull out a package of cookies and say outloud “Can she have one?” Literally no matter what my child is doing, she will stop look at me with those eyes that say “Please” ….. and then when I say “NO”… look at my kid and say “Your Mom Said No”.
Grandparents Take Note: Are you kidding me? Is it some kind of Granparent code to align yourself with the child and not the Parent? Regardless if you agree with the methods, it is important to put up unified front for our kids. I get it, part of the fun of being a Grandparent is saying yes to everything and create joy in the child’s life; but if that creates a divide between parent and child… it is probably not a good idea. I am not afraid to be a parent which in some instances can make me look like a “bad guy”. But will have enough life obstacles along the way as I try to keep her on the “right track”, please do not add any more unnecessary obstacles in my path … I need you on my team. Morale of the story: Your Grandchild is not a dog and does not need treats the second they walk into your house. Shower them with love and not sugar.
** PS: On second thought; do not ask any questions in front of your Grandkid. Like, “Can she spend the night”, “Can they go to the mall with me”…. All of these should not be asked in the presence of the child.
2. Don’t: Completely disregard the Parents requests to watch the “Junk”, and in true Baby Boomer style ensure that they sky is the limit, by pumping them full of donuts, candy and McDonalds.
Grandparents Take Note: As a Baby Boomer, rebellion is part of your DNA, which has to be the reason for the complete disregard of the parents wishes. But I really struggle with Grandparents who think they are showing their Grandkids a “special” day by giving them lots of treats. We live in a society where it is taboo for parents to enforce clean eating habits. You should see the looks I get when I tell people what I feed Avery, they literally look at me like I am some kind of freak show. Then they ask a million questions about what we eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner. To which I respond “food”, we eat food in our home, we don’t eat chemicals.
It is so strange to me when we turn our noses up at obese children, yet find families who want a clean and healthy lifestyle for their children strange, weird and fear mongering?!?!?!. But the truth is, I am living the lifestyle that is promoted by Doctors and Science. We all know how bad processed foods are, yet we somehow compartmentalize that knowledge, so we can continue to enjoy without the guilt. So I personally think taking your Grandkids out and polluting their little bodies with all of this junk is a form of abuse. Did you know that sugar:
- Feeds Cancer Cells: This is not a scare tactic this is the truth.
- Represses the Immune System by nearly 40%
- Has the same effects of the brain as heroine, and is just as addictive.
Not to mention Processed Food has an ingredient list that is just downright scary.
3. Don’t: Continually question a Clean Eating Lifestyle; by saying things like ” Come on, lighten up.. it is just one piece of candy, let her be a little kid” or… “You turned out alright”.
Grandparents Take Note: Let me address the one that really ticks me off, “You turned out alright”. Ugh Baby Boomers you are the generation that epitomizes corporate greed; and you forever changed the food market on the early 80’s when you realized manufactured ingredients meant big profits. You introduced the market to delicacies like, Crystal Pepsi, Squeeze Its, Colored ketchup and Fat Free Potato Chips. And the children of the 90’s (myself included) ate it up. I am stunned we are not radio active. But we have PAID dearly for it; I have ADD (as do millions of others), and have gone through IVF treatment to conceive Avery. In fact, fertility treatments for those between the ages of 25-35 have sky rocketed. So many of my friends have walked the same Infertility path, I actually have very few friends who have conceived on their own. So no… we are not alright… we need to stop turning a blind eye to what our food is doing to us.
When you insist on giving my child candy, stop and think about what you are really doing to that child. You are increasing their chance of: Diabetes, cavities, cardiovascular disease, high blood sugar. Not to mention that children are significantly impacted by the effects of sugar. Every time you give a child “just one piece” you are changing their taste profile, and those veggies that they have come to love are no longer tasting so good. With every processed bite, they are developing a taste for the manufactured texture and taste. In a world filled with disease from poor food choices, we need to encourage eating those foods that are clean and pure.
Listen, I know you love your Grandchildren, so stop pumping them full of poison. Earn that “World’s Greatest Grandparents Mug” by nourishing your grandkids brain, bodies and souls when you spend that time together.
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