On Sunday night I faced a defining mothering moment. I told my daughter that she couldn’t have Koolaid like the other kids at a weekly dinner social. I hated doing it, but figured that I’m going to have to say “no” in a social situation at some point. I was afraid that Koolaid might become a weekly occurance at the social and I’m not OK with Koolaid as a regular drink for my three-year-old. Aria took the disappointment well, especially since I pointed out that she could have some homemade carrot cake for desert. She asked me about it later and I explained, “Every mom has to decide what is a healthy choice for their child. In our family we don’t drink Koolaid because mommy doesn’t think it’s healthy.”
When you’re pregnant, it’s having the self-control to forego your favorite deli sandwich and miss-out on the goodies at social gatherings from sushi to soft-cheeses. You look forward to getting back those off-limits indulgences once baby is born, only to discover that with nursing and feeding a young child you’re faced with a whole new level of diet reform. After all, it’s up to you to eat the right foods to make your breastmilk nourishing and safe. And, once your baby is eating table foods, you realize that your entire family needs to model healthy eating habbits if baby is going to form his own.
Saying “no” to junk food is choice we face every day. I especially enjoyed a recent post at Nature Moms Blog, “Healthier Kids: Moving Beyond Pizza and Hot Dogs”. If you’re looking to reevaluate your family’s eating habbits and take baby steps to healthier foods, her article outlines some good guidelines. You can also enter to win a cookbook from Holistic Moms Network. I want one!
