We’ve all heard the excuses from toddlers before: “I didn’t do it, the dog/sister/brother/person-who-isn’t-there-to-defend-themselves did it.” Over at How To Be a Dad, run by Andy Herald and Charlie Capen, Andy has compiled a list of his favorite toddler excuses in a blog post called “Wrong 101 (Kid Responses to Accusation).” Are you having trouble getting your toddler to eat his/her dinner? Brandy, over at mannlymama, knows all about the fight and writes a weekly blog post about her experiences. Each post has a different theme, as well as pictures of her son’s dinners. This week’s post is about Tough Love:
“When he starts acting out, we start with warnings. “If you don’t calm down and finish your dinner, there will be no time for TV” Ya know, basic facts. Then we step it up, ” Please eat all your X of there will be no special treat”. His ears perk up. Sometimes he takes the cue and eats but sometimes the screams and whines start. Then to avoid spaghetti on my damn carpet, the plate is taken away. This usually results in more screams and cries but he knows he has to calm down and ask nicely to get it back. Strangely enough, this usually works. He is asking for that food and eating it the minute it comes back.”
While we are on the topic of kids and food, shortly after New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced his plan to ban sugary drinks larger than 16 ounces, Walt Disney Co. announced their plan to cut advertisements from kid-focused web sites programming—like Disney XD—of foods that fail to meet their minimum nutrition requirements.
“…All products advertised on its child-focused television channels, radio stations and Web sites must comply with a strict new set of nutritional standards. Many products that already advertise on Disney, like Capri-Sun and Kraft Lunchables meals, won’t make the cut as they currently stand. Disney will also “reduce the amount of sodium by 25 percent in the 12 million children’s meals served annually at its theme parks, and create what it calls fun public service announcements promoting child exercise and healthy eating.”
This announcement is just one of many campaigns Disney has to promote healthy living among kids. In 2006, Disney introduced voluntary guidelines that prohibit the licensing of Disney characters for foods that fail to meet minimum nutrition requirements, and in 2010, they launched Disney Magic of Healthy Living with public service announcements featuring Michelle Obama and some Disney Channel stars.
