Back in February, after the start of the Pandemic, my mom decided to retire early. She had been a daycare provider for 30 years. Since she needed additional income, we decided she would watch my two kids while I work, and I would pay her $1,500 a month. She is an awesome grandma and teacher. That being said, she doesn't have the best discretion when feeding my kids. I grew up eating fast food nearly every day and have struggled with my relationship with unhealthy food from a young age. I have raised my daughters on a nutritional diet, no sodas, not too much sugar, etc. (I do let them have treats from time to time.)
I noticed over the last couple of months that my mom was making more frequent stops for fast food during lunchtime. She would keep it from me and even told the kids not to say anything to me. I would occasionally see a kid-size soda from Braums or McDonald's, which always contained Coca-Cola. I let it slide and asked if they could opt for fruit instead of fries and skip the soda, but to no avail, there we were a week later having the same conversation. I finally told her that enough was enough after four straight days of fast food. I offered to bring lunch, but she assured me that she would ”handle it,” even sending me a menu for the next week. But sure enough, the last three days, my kids have eaten burgers and fries for lunch.
What hurts the most is that she knows that she should have made healthier choices when we were growing up. She has said it herself. She always chalked it up to being something everyone did in the 90s. My dilemma is that my mom needs the money, is prideful, and gets super upset when you confront her. I think she will blow up when I tell her I'm bringing lunch for the kids. I'm mostly looking for advice on how to go about having the conversation. Mainly because what I'm doing now isn't working. And even if I bring lunch, who knows if she will give them sugary snacks and sodas throughout the day.
Note: I don't want to come across as a granola mom. I let my kids enjoy their food as long as we use portion control and aren't being excessive in sugar intake. I know they are kids and should be allowed to enjoy a cupcake from time to time. I just don’t want them to struggle with health and wellness like I did and do. They spend 8 hours a day l, five days a week with my mom.
tl;dr My mom watches my kids during the day and won’t stop feeding them fast food and unhealthy snacks, even after I ask her to stop. I have also suggested to bring lunch myself, but she gets upset.
Submitted January 07, 2021 at 05:37PM by grlmom4lyfe https://ift.tt/3opY6sz
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