Help a parent out!
I hate grocery shopping.
Although I am incredibly grateful to be able to pay for groceries without incurring debt (most months anyway), shopping for healthy food with my kiddos (ages 5 and 2) can be a wee bit overwhelming.
My kids light up with desire the moment we push our cart down the aisle. In elation, they shout out names like auctioneers listing their most prized possessions: “PawPatrol!-Gummies!-Goldfish!-Cheetohs!-CheeseDoodles!-ChipsAhoy!-ChocolateMilk!” And they expect to bid successfully on every item.
Even when I can (rarely) follow the sage, healthy advice to ‘skip the middle aisles’ to avoid as much processed food as possible, it doesn’t make a difference when these items are displayed next to the milk, cheese and yogurt. In fact, during our last trip, they were the milk, cheese and yogurt!
And in a moment of weakness, to ward off the approaching Richter scale 5 tantrum coming my way, I traded in my parental duty of instilling long term healthy behaviours in my kids for a few minutes of peace.
There was a ceasefire in the barrage of auctioneering as my 5 year old sat quietly playing with two packs of toy-like Paw Patrol yogurt and my 2 year old delighted in playing with cartoony cheese strings. Both products were not on our grocery list, nor did our kids know they existed prior to spotting them but in a flash both kids begged for them as though a precious heirloom was on the line.
It only took me a little over 20 minutes to crack under pressure (on that particular trip) which means my smart, wily kiddos are going to shout harder and sooner the next time.
As a parent of small kids, I need your help. I owe it to my kids to do better but I can’t do it alone. Please tell federal election candidates that we need restrictions on the marketing of food and beverages high in sugar, salt and saturated fats to kids.
With your help we can advocate for federal legislation restricting food and beverage marketing to kids. And one day soon I won’t need to choose a moment’s peace over my kids’ health.
Read more at: https://stopmarketingtokids.ca/
