What to do with kids mm?

happy mommy6

Fri, Mar 25 2016, 12:28 am

My kids all got lots of mm. Do you let kids each keep their own or do you pool together and put together? Right now each kids kept a bag of c their favorite nosh and pooled together the rest, but it's stl getting out of control.

PinkFridge

Fri, Mar 25 2016, 8:29 am

I remember the different stages.
At some point, I was in control but let the kids indulge - a LOT - on Purim. Then they got old enough to trade. I told them that I wouldn't be giving full Shabbos party as they had their own stuff, and that they could use their snack bags for school snacks. (I didn't let them go snackless, just tried to get them to stretch their stashes.)
But we had years where kids threw up on Purim from too much stuff. It's all a blur now.

lucky14

Fri, Mar 25 2016, 9:01 am

we were always allowed to keep our own. I can't imagine being told to put it all together for everyone. the fun was getting myyy own stuff. we got to choose one or two things to have each day when we were younger, but from our own stash (or from the stuff our family as a whole had gotten).

HonesttoGod

Fri, Mar 25 2016, 12:01 pm

I sorted it last night what I didn't mind them having and what I didn't want them touching and what I wanted Wink

Each got their bag but they'll probably both share. I only allow one nash/snack choice a day until it is done.

sky

Fri, Mar 25 2016, 12:15 pm

My kids keep their stuff separate. I let them take 1 -2 snacks a day to school or save for after school snack (amounts and time depend on age and schedule) and sodas are saved for Friday lunch (so the caffeine wears off by bedtime).

amother

Aquamarine

Sat, Mar 26 2016, 11:39 pm

We put everything together as a family; we don't hoard food. We are interested in real food first on Purim, and most of the junk is never eaten - but thrown (or given) away about a week or two later. The food is kept in boxes in the dining room where the kids could take it if they wanted to without limit. BH they are not gluttons and hardly touch the garbage.

SYA

Sat, Mar 26 2016, 11:52 pm

Each kid keeps their own except for the candy and sugary sweets which we donate to an organization. There are several in my area that collect and distribute - release time, chabad families that have no money and chabad families living in areas with no kosher sweets.

eschaya

Sun, Mar 27 2016, 12:17 am

Every kid keeps their own, but the day after purim we have a candy sale where each kid is able to sell us whatever junk they want. We set prices in advance (ie soda is worth a dollar, chip bags 30 cents) and then we take them to a toy/dollar store and they can buy something worth the value they "earned". This way we don't take anything away from them, but we reduce the amount of nosh they eat. Then I bring the "sold" food to work, or throw it out. It's a win win, no resentment.
I feel that it's very important not to take away things they've been given. It's not mine to take away. But I can entice them to willingly give some of it away by providing a more exciting alternative.

juggling

Sun, Mar 27 2016, 6:20 am

eschaya wrote:

I love that idea! Unfortunately my kids are old enough that I couldn't entice them with dollar store toys. But it's a great idea.

I also totally agree with what you said, "it's not mine to take away." I never got how parents could take their kids' candy from them. I guess if it's understood that that's the way things are done, maybe. But at my house, the kids look forward to all the fun of getting their very own junk food stash. They pretty much eat the most exciting stuff in the first few days, and then the luster wears off. But this is their excitement! How could I take that from them?