It’s that time of year! Halloween candy everywhere at our house. Notice all the empty wrappers!
If your house is like mine, by day three of the candy I am ready to throw it all away! My kids are not generally candy’holics but they can’t seem to help themselves when it comes to the huge basket of fresh loot sitting out on the table. So what’s a mom to do? I have to manage it just like I have to manage their screen use, it is exactly the same battle! They can’t resist the temptation to dive in for just one more piece (at breakfast!) just like they can’t resist one more level on their game.
Neuroscience tells us that the ‘regulation control’ center in their brain is not fully developed, that is why they are so tempted to eat candy and jump on a screen at every turn. They need adults to pay attention and love them enough to help them put the brakes on. My job is to lend them my frontal cortex and help them out by setting boundaries, managing ‘portions’ and saying “no”. Oh and FYI, just like that candy, that ‘yummy’ screen also releases an overabundance of the feel-good chemical, dopamine, to keep them coming back for more.
Mom, is it time to give your kids the gift of boundaries and set some candy and screen limits in your house? The benefits are so sweet!
