For Fun: what do your kids NOT know about?

[Twoboos]

Y'know, things that make people think you are "depriving" your DCs.

My DDs (4.5 and almost 3) do not know about the ice cream man. He drove by the other day (about 30mins before dinner, nice timing), song blaring. They asked, "what's that truck doing?" And I said, "playing loud music." Luckily we were far enough away that they couldn't see the pics on the side...

They do not know Dora is a TV show, they think she only exists in books.

They do not know about McDonalds, etc.. Not because I am so against it, but because it just never crosses my mind to go to a fast-food place.

How about your DCs?

ETA: let's be clear, they definitely know french fries! and chocolate - due to the need for major M-n-M bribery during PTing DD1. And ice cream in general, just not that there's a truck that can bring it to your house, lol.

[pb&j]

-Fast food (though he definitely knows his way around a french fry).

-Most TV (we Tivo a few shows for him, and as far as he knows, those are the only shows ever in the history of television)

He's only recently been introduced to M&M's and chocolate (as potty training bribes), and goes completely nutso for them.

And somehow, he knows who all the Sesame street characters and Mickey Mouse are. I guess he picked that up at day care.

[caheinz]

My DDs (4.5 and almost 3) do not know about the ice cream man. He drove by the other day (about 30mins before dinner, nice timing), song blaring. They asked, "what's that truck doing?" And I said, "playing loud music." Luckily we were far enough away that they couldn't see the pics on the side...


DS still thinks that that's the "Music Truck" -- he has no clue that they sell ice cream out of it! I suspect the ruse will fail sometime this summer, though....

[KrisM]

DS still thinks that that's the "Music Truck" -- he has no clue that they sell ice cream out of it! I suspect the ruse will fail sometime this summer, though....

Yep, we call it the Music Truck, too. He was so surprised that they have a Music Truck at Grammy's house as well!

[elizabethkott]

All I can think of with this ice cream truck discussion is Eddie Murphy's "ICE CREAM MAAAAAAAN" STAND UP routine...
:D

[californiagirl]

DD doesn't know what McDonalds is (although she does know about In-N-Out).
She does know that Dora is a TV show, but I don't think she realizes Cars is a movie. Or that Scooby-Doo is a TV show. I don't think she's figured out yet that most people have TVs in their houses (some people she knows do, others don't -- but everybody has a computer).

[maestramommy]

Dora doesn't really understand candy. She's gone trick or treating once, but she spent the rest of the evening playing with the candy. And when it disappeared the next day she didn't even ask about it. Occasionally she points to it at the store and says, "what's that?" I tell her it's candy. So she knows candy, she just doesn't get that it's something yummy to eat.

She also doesn't know that licensed merchandise would be fun to buy. She recognizes Dora stuff in the store window and on the shelves, but I don't think she realizes you buy it like you buy soap and paper towels. Or maybe she doesn't care. She's kinda quirky in some ways.

[hillview]

DS is almost 3. He doesn't know that you can watch TV shows other than when on vacation. That you can have ice cream for dessert other than on vacation. Doesn't know about fast food places but like pp said does know french fries.

/hillary

[momtoonegirl]

DD (2 years old) does not know about "fast food"-McDonald's, Burger King, Wendys, etc. She just thinks Ronald McDonald is just like any other cartoon character.

She does not know about chocolate. All of the ice cream and cake that she has had has been non-chocolate. No M&M's yet, either. That's probably partially due to myself not being a real big chocolate eater. However, DH loves chocolate. He knows my one chocolate weakness is Toblerone bars :loveeyes:. I am sure DD will pick up on this once she is older.

[happy2bamom]

Until recently (the last couple of months) my 4 year old didn't know about juice. He drank milk and water only. My MIL was so upset that I would deprive him of juice (which makes no sense to me since he eats a ton of fruit). I did have to introduce him to juice b/c he had a virus and the pediatrician wanted him to drink gatorade or pedeolyte and he flat-out refused. So now I am introducing him slowly to various things to drink.

Unfortunately, my kids love McDonalds and watch TV almost everyday.

[veronica]

Man, you guys are good...

my 2.5 year old DD was introduced to the happy meal recently by DH. but-she has one per month and thinks that's all the "store" can give you!

She "knows" its the ice cream truck, but doesn't know what ice cream is so no problems there.

she does watch sesame street and one dora per day but rarely asks for more.

She has no idea what candy is and I'm mad that grandma had a bowl of "chocolate kisses" out but she only gets half when we visit.

I guess I'm the bad one of the bunch!

[LarsMal]

DS's allergies limit the "fun stuff" for him. He knows what ice cream is, but has no idea that it's something he's missing out on. Most fast food is out for us, but he does know Chik-fil-A fries! We rarely take them out to a restaurant, and when we do I take his food, so he doesn't know what it's like to order off a kids' menu. We actually had a waitress make a comment to us, "Wow! It's so nice to see kids eating such a healthy meal." I told her it wasn't really an option- trust me, if I could order him the mac-n-cheese, I'd do it in a heartbeat!!!

He thinks the Wiggles only exist on DVDs from the library. He only knows who Dora is b/c of a puzzle we have. His speech therapist showed him Spongebob today and when she asked who it was he looked at her like she had two heads!

Oh yeah, and the only "juice" he's had is the little bit left over in a fruit cup. But he watches DH and I drink juice- I think he's just used to us telling him certain things will make his "tummy sick" (from the allergies) that he just doesn't even think to ask for it.

[californiagirl]

Oh no, you're not the bad one of the bunch. DD knew what chocolate was early (she found a chocolate kiss on the floor at 11 months, and ate it -- good news! It was in its wrapper! Bad news! She ate it that way, and I had to fish the chocolatey aluminum foil out of her mouth!) And she adores the ice cream truck, and while she doesn't know what McDonald's is, In-N-Out (where she has eaten TWICE in her whole 4+ years) is one of her favorite restaurants and she pines after it every time we drive past. Not to mention she says every night "Mom, are you lazy enough to order pizza for dinner today?"

But she has no idea that I could, if I wanted to, buy her her very own sparkly pink nail polish.

[kijip]

I dunno. I guess I just consider it good that he does not know that the world is a scary place sometimes and that some kids don't have parents that love and care for them. He does not know hunger or abuse. He does not know what it is like to have worn shoes or a house with no toys or books or games or comfortable, warm bed. He does not know what it is like to have parents that verbally or physically abuse you.

We don't watch TV shows (we have no cable or reception) but he knows it exists and watches a DVD 1-2 times a week at home and maybe once at Grandparents (it's not a big thing with him anymore). We don't play video games all the time but he knows they exist and plays Wii maybe once a week. He does not eat McDonalds much but he knows what it is (mostly car trip breakfast food when your in a pinch!). He most certainly knows what candy is and we allow it in moderation. Maybe it is because he is five next week, but I am of the mind I would rather teach him what choices and values we have as a family and set him towards making his own choices. That seems to have worked because 9 times out of 10, he is in the garden, at the table drawing, on the floor playing or curled up in his favorite chair reading a book all by his own choice. If he is asking for something at the store it is more likely to be a pomegrante or grapefruit than candy. He is at least twice as likely to ask for water or milk than juice. Knowledge is power. I am glad he has things in moderation and is able to make good choices. Don't get me wrong, if all he wanted to do was play Wii and watch movies and drink juice and eat candy and french fries, I'd take a lot of steps to remedy it and add in books, better food etc. But I am proud to have raised a boy that would rather water flowers and practice baseball outside all on his own devices, with all the options in front of him.

And he SOOOO knows the ice cream truck because the first time it rolled down our block a couple weeks ago MAMA and DADDY got super excited and ran after it with him to show him what it was. :ROTFLMAO:

ETA: I am sorry this sounds so darn cranky. I think this is a fun thread, I just have a different approach now that my son is older. At age 2 he thought cookies were wheat crackers and juice was veggie juice. I am exhausted, starving (yet unable to eat much) and nauseated so maybe read the question differently than I otherwise would have.

[carolinamama]

Fun question, but I'm thinking my kid isn't as sheltered as I once believed.

DS does not know about the ice cream truck either. He doesn't know about soda and Kool-Aid. He doesn't know that some people actually eat dessert on a regular basis.

Oh, and he believed us when we told him that the jars of jelly beans that we got as a wedding favor were blue rocks in a jar. He doesn't really get candy.

Unfortunately, ds now knows many of the tv characters on pbs and Noggin as I was really sick at the beginning of this pregnancy and didn't have the energy nor the ability to do much besides lie on the couch. Oh, well.

[lisams]

DD (5 1/2) doesn't know any children's tv shows other than what's on PBS. We don't have cable which makes that super easy. She has seen some at my parent's though, so I guess she's not completely deprived, lol!

[gatorsmom]

My kids love Spiderman, Superman, Transformers and Power Rangers although they have never seen the movies or tv shows. Not quite sure why they think they are so cool.

They think all breakfast cereal is like Kashi. They have never had any breakfast cereal other than that. poor dears.

They are not familiar with most candy. M& Ms are the exception since we needed them for potty training.

And they really don't know much about Eor of Winnie the Pooh fame. I'm not a big fan of Pooh. I feel like I need to take a dose of insulin every time I see it on TV. Same goes for Barney. Wish they could unlearn him! ;)

[Piglet]

My kids know about everything and I am happy that they do. It is good to teach self-control and the fact that they have tried chocolate and candy and pop, etc. but do not get to eat it whenever they want is a good lesson in my book. They also know all about the shows on TV but they do not watch a lot. I love the joy of running up to an ice cream truck and lived for those moments as a kid, so you bet I told DS1 all about it when the truck came on our street one day. He was not as impressed as I expected - he sort of looked at me like, "what's the big deal - there's ice cream in the fridge?!". We keep kosher, so my kids have never had fast food/Happy Meals/etc. Not that I wouldn't let them try it, but there isn't anything here to try. When we were in Israel a few years ago we went to Burger King and McDonalds and it was a HUGE treat for all of us. We still talk about it.

[randomkid]

My kids know about everything and I am happy that they do. It is good to teach self-control and the fact that they have tried chocolate and candy and pop, etc. but do not get to eat it whenever they want is a good lesson in my book. They also know all about the shows on TV but they do not watch a lot. I love the joy of running up to an ice cream truck and lived for those moments as a kid, so you bet I told DS1 all about it when the truck came on our street one day. He was not as impressed as I expected - he sort of looked at me like, "what's the big deal - there's ice cream in the fridge?!".

I tend to agree with you. I do limit DD and there are certain things she doesn't know about, but mostly because *I* can't stand them. She doesn't know who Dora is even though she has seen her before. They gave her a sticker at the shoe store with Dora on it and she said "Look, Mommy! I got a sticker with a girl!" Her generic Pull-Ups (that she insists on wearing to the sitter's even though she's trained) have Diego on them, but she has no idea who he is either. This is mostly because I can't stand those shows and DD has never watched them.

DD has had and been exposed to many things that I thought I would forbid. DH introduced her to McDonald's, but she only likes the fries - she can't stand any of the other food. She was given disgusting fruit gummy candy at her dance recital, but what do you do? Grab it and throw it out when all the other girls have it? She also knows what juice is, but only gets PlumSmart or Prune juice at home due to constipation issues. She knows candy, but not disgusting super colored, sugary, yucky candy. Mostly lollipops and chocolate. She knows TV, but limited shows and doesn't realize that some shows that she sees at the sitter's can also be watched at home. She has DVDs and knows Disney/Sea World and all the characters. I just bought her JoJo's Circus toys off eBay because she loves the show so much. She doesn't know about the ice cream truck, but would if DH had his way. Oh yeah, she really doesn't know about white bread or all those sugary cereals (except Lucky Charms introduced to her by my stepdaughter).

I feel like I had certain things as a kid that bring great memories and DD can have things like this as well - in moderation. I can tell you from experience. My stepdaughters had many things that I would not have allowed (SpongeBob, for example - DD knows who he is and wants to watch, but knows she isn't allowed). We did limit their candy consumption and tried to feed them healthy food, but their Mom fed them all kinds of fast food and took them out to eat all the time. After she remarried and had babies, she started cooking more healthy foods again. Now, the oldest, who was absolutely crazy for anything with cheese or chocolate, doesn't eat either. Both the girls (at ages 15 and 17) eat healthy foods and limit themselves on sugar and fast food. DH tried to take them to McDonald's one night and they refused - lol! You just have to teach good habits early and hopefully, they make good choices when they get older!

[sarahsthreads]

Maybe it is because he is five next week, but I am of the mind I would rather teach him what choices and values we have as a family and set him towards making his own choices.

This is kind of how I feel too - I mean, DD knows about a lot of stuff, and at 3.5 sometimes wants those things more than I feel is healthy/good for her, but I'm trying to teach her to make good decisions instead of keeping her in the dark about things. I hope when she's closer to five it will be second nature to her about eating healthy things to keep our bodies running well, saving treats for sometimes, and reading books being so much more enjoyable than sitting in front of the TV all day. (Actually, if I weren't so darn tired at this point in my pregnancy she'd much rather I read to her all day...and I do mean _all_ day.)

But I'll admit she doesn't know about the ice cream truck (I'm not even sure I've heard one in the neighborhood yet this summer) or Spongebob (she sees pictures of him and calls him the "cheese man".) I don't give in to her requests, no matter how nicely she reads the name on the box, for sugary cereals, so I suppose she doesn't "know" about them...but then again, I'm not against getting her a tiny bag of M&M's at the checkout every few weeks, especially since she doesn't ask every time we're in the store. And honestly, she's much more likely to ask for blueberries, baby carrots, and watermelon than M&Ms anyway.

And in fact, I think it's absolutely adorable that what little rampant consumerism she displays at this age is not so much "I want I want I want" but more "can I get this for ______?" which is usually either her little sister on the way or one of her friends.

Sarah :)

[bubbaray]

Soda

Peanut butter

raisins/fruit leather

candy (other than chocolate)

Ice cream truck

Any cold breakfast cereal other than Cheerios (and fruity cheerios, ugh, that was DH's fault) or Shreddies.

[mamabelle]

Dd who is almost 5 yo does not know what commercials are and have never seen Hannah Montana or HS musical despite the fact that there is a lot of talk about them in her class. Another asked me how I managed that! I said I just did not turn it on. This mom was dumbfounded. Scary generation this will be that rules the roost on silly things like this!

[o_mom]

Gum :) ...and I'm keeping it that way as long as possible.

They know that most other stuff mentioned exists - ice cream, candy, TV, etc. We just don't have it around much so they rarely ask for it. They have had fruit snacks, but we don't keep them around. Ice cream is mainly birthdays and the occasional trip to the ice cream place. Cookies are for after dinner when we have them. Dessert is as likely to be grapes or watermelon as something sugary.

TV is rare here - 1-2 shows maybe once a week. Somehow they still know all the characters, though.

[bubbaray]

Gum :) ...and I'm keeping it that way as long as possible.

They know that most other stuff mentioned exists - ice cream, candy, TV, etc. We just don't have it around much so they rarely ask for it. They have had fruit snacks, but we don't keep them around. Ice cream is mainly birthdays and the occasional trip to the ice cream place. Cookies are for after dinner when we have them. Dessert is as likely to be grapes or watermelon as something sugary.



Oh, man, how could I forget gum, LOL. Or dessert???? I chew gum, but like wine/beer, they think its for adults only. We rarely have dessert.

[g-mama]

Wow, I think my kids know about *all* the stuff your kids don't!!

I never thought before reading this that I was such a free-wheelin, anything goes sort of mom, but I do now. Or maybe that my parenting standards are really, really low!

I am thinking that possibly many of the people who have responded have much younger kids because once they get past 4 or so, it's a whole new world. But my three boys are healthy, active, good boys. So they drink juice, have fast food a couple of times a month, get ice cream from the ice cream truck along with all the other kids in the street, watch cartoons, and have dessert if they eat their dinner. All of these things are in moderation and they know that.

What do you do when you go to parties or to friend's houses? Tell them they cannot have a juice box that is offered to them? Yes, I may have done that at 2 or 3, but how far can you go with that? I don't know, I think things change big time when your oldest gets to age 5 or so and then your younger kids want to do what their siblings do.....Some of the posts seem so holier-than thou to me.

[bubbaray]

Wow, I think my kids know about *all* the stuff your kids don't!!

I never thought before reading this that I was such a free-wheelin, anything goes sort of mom, but I do now. Or maybe that my parenting standards are really, really low!

I am thinking that possibly many of the people who have responded have much younger kids because once they get past 4 or so, it's a whole new world. But my three boys are healthy, active, good boys. So they drink juice, have fast food a couple of times a month, get ice cream from the ice cream truck along with all the other kids in the street, watch cartoons, and have dessert if they eat their dinner. All of these things are in moderation and they know that.

What do you do when you go to parties or to friend's houses? Tell them they cannot have a juice box that is offered to them? Yes, I may have done that at 2 or 3, but how far can you go with that? I don't know, I think things change big time when your oldest gets to age 5 or so and then your younger kids want to do what their siblings do.....Some of the posts seem so holier-than thou to me.


Different strokes, and all that. I didn't think any of the posts were holier than thou. My DD#1 is 4 and goes to daycare FT, as does DD#2. They still don't drink soda/pop. DD#1 rarely drinks juice at home and when she does, she asks for it to we watered down (and corrects people, like the GPs, who forget). She's been to parties, its not like I keep her locked in a cave. Most parents here have 100% juice at parties, usually organic, and usually with a choice of water or milk too. She'll drink part of the juice, not all, and then ask for water or milk.

So, I think we can get pretty far with that....

Maybe its just different parenting styles. I'm definitely strict with the girls and downright ornery when it comes to food choices (plus DD#2 has severe, life-threatening food allergies). I am somewhat less strict at a party that isn't "ours", but at our parties, there is no soda/pop for kids, hot dogs are veggie dogs, and we always have healthy stuff like fruit & veggies.

We just don't have a lot of food that other people may consider normal (soda/candy/desserts) in the house. So, they just don't get to eat it. I don't see that changing until the girls can grocery shop independently with their own money.

[Ceepa]

I think things do change as the kids get older. DD knows about a lot more now because DS is older and she's exposed to more of his experiences and wants to share them.

[randomkid]

Different strokes, and all that. I didn't think any of the posts were holier than thou. My DD#1 is 4 and goes to daycare FT, as does DD#2. They still don't drink soda/pop. DD#1 rarely drinks juice at home and when she does, she asks for it to we watered down (and corrects people, like the GPs, who forget). She's been to parties, its not like I keep her locked in a cave. Most parents here have 100% juice at parties, usually organic, and usually with a choice of water or milk too. She'll drink part of the juice, not all, and then ask for water or milk.

We just don't have a lot of food that other people may consider normal (soda/candy/desserts) in the house. So, they just don't get to eat it. I don't see that changing until the girls can grocery shop independently with their own money.

I think it's what you teach early as well. I know DD has been given juice boxes and such, but she usually only drinks a little as well. She just doesn't like it. But, Coke? She would drink that daily if I let her. I do allow it, but only a little and only once in a while. When she was under 3, it was definitely easier and I know it will get harder as she gets older. However, if I limit the junk now, but let her have it in moderation (so it's not forbidden), I believe that just teaches how to make healthier choices. My parents NEVER took us to fast food places mostly because my Mom hated that food. Let me tell you, when I was in college and had a job, I ate so much fast food it was ridiculous. I felt like I had freedom and could eat whatever I wanted so I guess I kind of rebelled. Like I said in a PP, my stepDDs were allowed that stuff, but taught in moderation. Now, as teenagers, they don't eat it.

We do have candy, cookies, etc in our house, but DD doesn't see us eating it like crazy so she understands that it's a "treat". She knows she doesn't get anything special if she doesn't eat dinner and she doesn't get something just because she ate dinner. I just want DD to be as healthy as possible and I don't think that's being holier-than-thou either. There are some that are probably more strict and some less strict than I am, but as you said, "different parenting styles". I guess I didn't realize how much I limit DD until her recital this past weekend. The Moms all brought snacks for the 4 girls in DDs class. Another Mom and I brought grapes, pretzels, freeze dried fruit, etc. This was during dinner time and we were only allowed foods that wouldn't stain or make a mess. I was shocked when another Mom pulled out a big bag with 4 of everything - cookies, fruit snacks, juice, etc. DD ate more cr@p that night than she usually does in a week! So...it does become more difficult as they get older, but you do your best for as long as possible.

[mom2binsd]

Um....I guess I'm with g-mama...after reading all the posts am feeling a little sheepish...but regarding Happy Meals...my DD doesn't know that the apples come with a Caramel Dip...I always remove it (and it makes a great little late night treat for mama)....I am always amazed at hearing that many folks don't have cable, or satellite...I have to admit both DH and I love TV....he is a sports fanatic (mostly NFL) and I'm addicted to HGTV and TLC, Bravo..mostly late at night....our kids mostly watch a little Noggin and some Disney (not all day but some)...it wasn't until recently the DD figured out there was actually a WDW that went along with all the Disney stuff...some PBS like Caillou (but I'm a speech therapist and Cookie Monster and his baby talk/incorrect use of pronouns just drives me crazy!!!) I grew up watching quite a bit of TV but also did many other activities too (I figure skated 7 days a week) but loved the totally mindless and so silly/mindless Brady Bunch/Different Strokes/Facts of Life/Eight is Enough/Donny and Marie etc and I think I turned out ok....like someone else said everyone does things a little differently.

[kijip]

but regarding Happy Meals...my DD doesn't know that the apples come with a Caramel Dip...I am always amazed at hearing that many folks don't have cable, or satellite...I have to admit both DH and I love TV....he is a sports fanatic (mostly NFL) and I'm addicted to HGTV and TLC, Bravo..mostly late at night....

That's mine! Toby has no idea why Apple Dippers are called Dippers. I knew there must be something I was still holding out on him. Re TV we don't have cable because we just never had and don't really see having time. I don't have an issue at all with people that do- heck, it is the greatest thing for my mother (who is stuck in her apartment sometimes due to illness).

Toby does not drink soda- we don't have it around a lot and the couple of sips my parents gave him developed a hatred of it in him...he can't tolerate the bubbles.

[o_mom]

What do you do when you go to parties or to friend's houses? Tell them they cannot have a juice box that is offered to them? Yes, I may have done that at 2 or 3, but how far can you go with that? I don't know, I think things change big time when your oldest gets to age 5 or so and then your younger kids want to do what their siblings do.....Some of the posts seem so holier-than thou to me.

I think many of them are younger. I find that when they are little it is easierfor me if they just don't to know. A 2 yo has a hard time with "just one" or "not every night" a 3yo can begin to understand and not throw a tantrum over it (in general, not always). I also have no problem explaining to my 3 yo that he can't have something that his brother has because he is younger.

When we go to parties, they eat whatever (once they are old enough to notice), I don't make a big deal of it. At friends' houses we are lucky that most of the moms we know are thoughtful enough to ask me first before offering any food, and especially juice/soda/sweets. Now if I could only explain that to my Grandmother :ROTFLMAO: .

[o_mom]

...my DD doesn't know that the apples come with a Caramel Dip...

I forgot this one! We do this too!



....I grew up watching quite a bit of TV but also did many other activities too (I figure skated 7 days a week) but loved the totally mindless and so silly/mindless Brady Bunch/Different Strokes/Facts of Life/Eight is Enough/Donny and Marie etc and I think I turned out ok....like someone else said everyone does things a little differently.

On TV - when we were growing up, TV was much different, even if you had cable. Children's programming was regulated. There were no "program length commercials" and certainly no 24/7 cartoon networks and not 4-6 of them (like we have on our satellite). The daytime TV for kids was PBS or nothing. PBS wasn't as heavily into marketing as it is now, either.

I watched my fair share of Saturday morning cartoons, but it was self limiting because they ended around 10 am and we would head out to play. Now if you want they can watch a "children's show" all day long (and yes, that comes in handy when I am on my deathbed).

The shows you mention here are in no way appropriate for toddlers, preschoolers or even kindergarteners. Most likely you were much older when you watched these. Now, however, shows like these are targeted at younger and younger kids. Many times the messages are not as "wholesome" as the shows we remember so fondly. I just don't want to expose my kids to that until they are older.

Really, I don't think anyone is a bad parent for any of this - it is simply what we have found easier and what works for our house.

[g-mama]

Different strokes, and all that. I didn't think any of the posts were holier than thou. My DD#1 is 4 and goes to daycare FT, as does DD#2. They still don't drink soda/pop. DD#1 rarely drinks juice at home and when she does, she asks for it to we watered down (and corrects people, like the GPs, who forget). She's been to parties, its not like I keep her locked in a cave. Most parents here have 100% juice at parties, usually organic, and usually with a choice of water or milk too. She'll drink part of the juice, not all, and then ask for water or milk.

So, I think we can get pretty far with that....

Maybe its just different parenting styles. I'm definitely strict with the girls and downright ornery when it comes to food choices (plus DD#2 has severe, life-threatening food allergies). I am somewhat less strict at a party that isn't "ours", but at our parties, there is no soda/pop for kids, hot dogs are veggie dogs, and we always have healthy stuff like fruit & veggies.

We just don't have a lot of food that other people may consider normal (soda/candy/desserts) in the house. So, they just don't get to eat it. I don't see that changing until the girls can grocery shop independently with their own money.


Obviously, food allergies are a unique situation. Nobody would expect you to serve your child food which could kill her.

Having a child in FT daycare, IMO, would make it much easier to forbid TV. I am my kids' full time daycare and I have to keep them entertained for 14 hours a day. My SIL comes home with her two kids at 6:30 and they are in bed by 8:30. In that situation, the TV would never be on in our house while the kids were awake either. I think what rubbed me the wrong way is that we can all make these blanket statements about how our children live, but the underlying situations are all totally different.

And mostly, I realize that I have probably totally outgrown this board because my kids are no longer babies. They didn't eat candy at 1 or 2 either. :)

[Piglet]

And mostly, I realize that I have probably totally outgrown this board because my kids are no longer babies. They didn't eat candy at 1 or 2 either. :)

Sadly, I know that feeling all too well... mine are creeping to the same age as yours.

[Piglet]

LOL, when I was 5 or 6, my evening TV consisted of the Muppet Show followed by M*A*S*H. From as early as I can remember (around age 4) we watched Three's Company because my parents needed to learn English and that was the only show that made sense with minimal language knowledge. Looking back, I just didn't get any of it. I limit the kids' TV to shows that are on the Tivo, so that I can pick and choose the ones they watch, but honestly, I wouldn't mind if they watched something less age appropriate (like Three's Company) as long as it was goofy and in no way realistic. They wouldn't get most of the jokes, but they would like the slapstick humour (or at least that is what I loved about it).

[s7714]

Until recently (the last couple of months) my 4 year old didn't know about juice. He drank milk and water only. My MIL was so upset that I would deprive him of juice (which makes no sense to me since he eats a ton of fruit). I did have to introduce him to juice b/c he had a virus and the pediatrician wanted him to drink gatorade or pedeolyte and he flat-out refused. So now I am introducing him slowly to various things to drink.


We rarely have juice in our house and intentionally avoided introducing it to my DDs just because I heard so many stories of kids wanting nothing else once they've had it. (My 2 year old nephew is a prime example; he won't even drink water unless it has enough juice in it to taste it.) Now neither of my DDs will drink juice when offered, even when I try to get them to drink it when they're sick or something. My older DD was the odd girl out at preschool because at snack time she refused anything but milk or water to drink while everyone else chugged the juice down. No doubt I've had countless parents thinking I'm nuts for having kids that don't want anything to do with juice!

[lil_acorn]

My son doesn't know that we have a DVD system in our new minivan. Don't want to turn it on just to go to the grocery store 5 miles down!

[SnuggleBuggles]

Maybe back in the day when my ds was only 2 I had a lot more on my list but now that he is almost 6 he has been exposed (sometimes on multiple, multiple occasions) to things I have seen posted (like candy, fast food, certain TV shows...).

Gum and soda are on the list of things he hasn't tried but he knows they exist.

I have a feeling ds2 is going to know about things I kept from ds1 much sooner though.

Beth

[brittone2]

DS doesn't know most commercial characters, but he's now 4 so he does know a few more now because other people point them out. He knows Thomas the Train only because someone gifted him a book. DH and I usually read it as "the blue train said..." and "the red train said..." but my parents just read the words ;)

Last night he was at the neighbor's house. She's turning 4. She and her sister were inside watching Strawberry Shortcake on TV. My neighbors asked DS if he likes Strawberry Shortcake. He said "mmmm. Yes!!! I love it! We make it with whipped cream. We picked our own strawberries...(blah blah)..." LOL. They said they were going to make some strawberry shortcake for their upcoming party. He asked if they wanted us to pick up some organic strawberries ;) I'm not sure how amused my mainstream neighbors were with that but DH and I chuckled when we got home ;)

I thought I'd share since I thought of this thread as soon as it happened.

ETA: agreeing w/ the PPs about kid ages. DS is 4 so he knows what candy is, what soda is, etc. He certainly didn't at age 1 or 2 though. He doesn't drink soda (although I've let him sip it because I know doesn't like carbonation in general). He has never really been a juice drinker other than the very rare glass of OJ at the grandparents (and he never acquired a taste for juice as a result.). He will drink store bought Kombucha, which is carbonated but has very, very little sugar (tea and juice mixture that has a ton of probiotics in it). He eats chocolate every few days, but that's because I keep 85% dark chocolate (very little sugar in it) at home to eat. We each have a square or two every few days, sometimes with some organic PB.

DD is 18 months and has been introduced to most stuff way earlier than DS was, but fortunately it is such a small part of all of our diets it really isn't a big deal. I picked DS out a cookie today from the co-op bakery (i'd rather him have one to enjoy from the bakery rather than a whole box of cookies) and got one for DD so there wouldn't be fighting in the car. She ate one bite and was done. She loves meat, cheese, and savory stuff way more. She does like the dark chocolate though.

[bubbaray]

Having a child in FT daycare, IMO, would make it much easier to forbid TV. I am my kids' full time daycare and I have to keep them entertained for 14 hours a day. My SIL comes home with her two kids at 6:30 and they are in bed by 8:30. In that situation, the TV would never be on in our house while the kids were awake either. I think what rubbed me the wrong way is that we can all make these blanket statements about how our children live, but the underlying situations are all totally different.



Um, where did I say in my posts (the one you quoted, or my original post, or the one where I quoted o_mom) that I forbid TV? Because I don't. My posts were restricted to comments about food, candy and beverages.

I'm not sure if your comment about having children in daycare makes things easier are directed at me specifically or WOTH moms in general or what. If you are cirecting those comments at me specifically, you are welcome to trade places with me a.n.y. day. Bring it on. Because unless *you've* practiced law full time with 2 children (with health issues) in daycare, with a spouse who has his own full time professional job, and no family or friends to provide extra help, you really have no clue about the specifics of my situation.

[belovedgandp]

DS1 is 4 1/2 so some of what he knows is more recent, but lots of things just kind of stuck from the beginning.

Limited to no TV. He doesn't know commercials because we DVR everything he watches and cut them out (plus 75% of what he watches is still PBS).

Until he was almost 4 he didn't realize his shows or movies would work on our downstairs TV. I never had it on for background noise or anything, so the only TV he watched was in our room while sitting on our bed with me (usually because I was pregnant and napping).

Juice isn't available at home. OJ is a treat at Grandma's. His treats for parties here are the Minute Maid bags of ever so slightly flavored water.

He knows what the ice cream man is, but I'm the mean mommy who can't justify the expense, sometimes we have ice cream or a popsicle out of our freezer.

He doesn't know there's a kids menu at restaurants. We share with him most places unless there is a really healthy, not over-priced option for him to get his own.

On his own he thinks all condiments are icky - including the carmel dip from McDs apples. He's weird and I blame his father for that one.

His favorite "chip" are freeze dried apple crisps.

[g-mama]

I'm not sure if your comment about having children in daycare makes things easier are directed at me specifically or WOTH moms in general or what. If you are cirecting those comments at me specifically, you are welcome to trade places with me a.n.y. day. Bring it on. Because unless *you've* practiced law full time with 2 children (with health issues) in daycare, with a spouse who has his own full time professional job, and no family or friends to provide extra help, you really have no clue about the specifics of my situation.

I don't claim to "have a clue" about your situation, nor do I wish to trade places with you, today or a.n.y day. My dh does what you do and I know how demanding it is. So I won't be bringing anything on. :)

I'm simply saying that it's much easier to raise children with little to no TV if the kids are not inside the house for most of their day, rather in a center where there is no TV and there is a full-time staff on hand to engage the children.

And I apologize that I mixed up my thoughts about some posts that mentioned TV with yours, which did not. I'm sorry about that - my mistake.

[jd11365]

My kid knows it all. :) In fact today she learned something new... A Dilly Bar from Dairy Queen! Yum! My DS learned about it too swiping a lick of his own. ;)

[Fairy]

We had dilly bars today, too :-)

Now that DS is 3.5, he knows alot more than when he was younger, I agree alot of it is about age. However, he's in PT daycare, and alot of his friends are big into alot of stuff we don't have in our house. So, he knows what it is, but it has no meaning for him. Like Hannah Montana, HSM, all things Disney Channel in general, and, especially, Spongebob.

On the other hand, he now watches alot of TV, all Noggin and PBS. Far cry from where we were half his life ago. Just how it worked out. Eh. His favorites are still the Upside Down Show, Sesame Street, Jack's Big Music Show, and Dora (more than Diego). He's also added Super Why, Word World, and Littles Bil & Bear as shows he really likes.

He knows all about candy, lots of candy. But he mainly wants to play with it, cart it from place to place, put it in a bag, then from there into a tote, and then to his little kitchen "for safe keeping." Almost never asks to eat it, cuz that would mean opening it, which HEAVENS TO BETSY! would mean he couldn't play with it anymore. Not that he doesn't eat his fair share of candy, cuz he does, but he knows it's "sometimes food."

DS does not know what death is. I've shielded him from all mentions of what it means to die. When we have to address it, we say that they're not alive anymore. Splitting hairs, but effective. When Coral was eaten by the baracuda, he really wanted to know where she and the babies were, and so we told him honestly where they were and explained "die" but he truly did not understand. So, we made the attempt but have decided he's not quite ready, so continue to just avoid the subject.

DS also has no clue that apple dippers come with ... dip. He does have juice from time to time, we have it in our fridge. But it's not daily. A few times a week, apple watered down. DH bought cherry/cranberry the othyer day and I about had a coronary. He did get a glass of that, and he *loved* it. So, that genie's out of the bottle, but I've effectively taken his mind off it.

DS doesn't know what peanut butter is. When he finally passed the nut allergy tests, we gave him peanut butter and hated it twice to the point that we thought he'd throw up a lung. So, he doesn't know peanut butter.

He has no idea what commercials are.

He doesn't know what grandparental restraint from saying yes to everything is. Alas, that's another topic . . .

[Piglet]

Welcome back Fairy! Long time no see. It's good to have you back :)

[Fairy]

Thanks, Marina :-)