Where This Mom Draws the Line Part III: Orange Puffs of Death
This will be the third and final installment of âWhere this mom draws the line.â? ‘Tis the last chapter–the third witness–that I am a mean, but well-meaning mom.
Part One was about how I donât play videogames with my kids. Iâll play soccer, go on hikes and show them how to go off âsweet jumpsâ? on my bike, but I will not, as they like to say, âkick their buttsâ? at Mario Cart.
Part Two revealed my aversion for balloons. A lot of you, in your comments, agreed with me on this one. As you know, balloons always end in tears.
For Part Three I will tell you the food I will absolutely, positively, no-matter-how-much-they beg, not buy.
Letâs go back thirteen years to 1995. I was a missionary in Venezuela. My companion and I met a woman named Luz. She had two small children, a cinder block home with a dirt floor, no windows or doors, a chicken and a drunken boyfriend that would show up every few days, sleep with her, beat her and take her money.
Luz worked cleaning houses. We were able to get her some more work cleaning houses for members of the church and when they could, they also helped her out with meals. We helped her get a door with a lock installed so she could protect herself, her kids, and her money from her boyfriend. Things were starting to look up for Luz.
One afternoon we are walking down the dirt road that led to Luzâ home, when we came across her young daughter. She told us that her mother gave her a little money to go to the bodega for a treat. She chose Cheetos! That poor little under-nourished girl chose Cheetos.
I didnât judge. I didnât say anything, but on the inside I was thinking, âHow about some bananas or mangos? Something with a little nutritional value?â?
Thirteen years later, that might not be a good reason not to buy Cheetos. But, do I really need a good reason not to fill my kids up with those orange puffs of death?
The only time my kids eat Cheetos is when they visit their aunt. They think she is way cooler than I am. She even brought the videogame âRock Bandâ? over to play with my kids.
My next three part series⦠âWhy being an aunt is way cooler than being a mom.â?
My kids looooove Cheetos but I won’t buy them. The closest they’ll ever get is Pirate Booty, cheese flavor, and that’s only once in a great while.
Oatmeal. I won’t buy oatmeal for my kids. It just reminds me of Russia and poverty. There’s no good explanation.
“orange puffs of death” It’s too true! I sometimes find it very difficult to quit eating them because of the cheesiness. So I just don’t buy them.
Problem solved.
things i will not buy–
yes the orange puffs of death is at the top of the list,
along with
doritos
full sugar soda pop
rock star soda
oreo’s and
cocopuffs
i’ve got nothing agains sugar but these just cross the line!!
I don’t like to buy them (notice I didn’t say I DON’T buy them) because they make the kid’s fingers messy which means I end up with orange finger prints on the couch carpet, wall, etc…
Um, I buy them but Declan doesn’t KNOW I buy them.
Cheetos are evil. They smell bad, make a mess and stain your clothes.
EWWWWW.
I’m a bad mom, I let my kids eat junk food. But I have my standards!
One time I let my then 8 yr-old buy Vault. I had no idea it was the equivalent of 7 cups of sugar and a caffeine I.V.
I watched him run around like the kid with the bike helmet that was always chained to the jungle gym on SNL.
This is officially a No-Vault-House. I’m also gagged out by brownies with frosting.
Ah! The evil Cheetos! I rarely buy them, but when I do we mow them down like there’s no tomorrow.
But I won’t let my kid have soda, Kool-Aid or Cocca Puffs. Just too much crap in one place.
being an aunt must be great – you can load them up with sugar and preservatives and send them home!
I feed my kids healthy food, but I just can’t give up the Cheetos! I have LOVED them ever since I was a child. I continue to love them in all there hydrogenized goodness.
So my kids get whole wheat bread, beans, milk, fruit, veggies, lean meats…and Cheetos!
Annie, can we still be friends?
Ugh! Cheese puffs! I totally agree with you here. I don’t buy them. Not only are they yucky, but they are also messy. I get called a mean mom every time I take a child with me grocery shopping because I refuse to buy them. I must confess, I tried one once. I have never eaten one since. I think it was my aunt that gave it to me to try.
I think it’s okay to buy the Cheetos every once in awhile. Luckily for me, my kids don’t like them. However, I must say (sorry), that there is an astronomically HUGE difference in a mal-nourished child buying Cheetos and a healthy, fruit & veggie & warm meal eating child.
That child should have chosen something different because it would have been best for that child. Our (mine/yours) children can have a little of this and a little of that in moderation and it’s okay!
My mom never let us have sugar cereal when we were kids. Now that I am a grown-up, it’s all I buy.
Say it isn’t so!
Boy, this really harshes my mellow.
That’s right, cool Aunt Carrie will feed kids all the Cheetos and red kool-aid they can stand.
I only buy baked cheetos, and reduced-fat oreos (I’m sure I’m killing them with some weird chemicals…but you know, they have to hate me for something when they’re 23.) I think doritos smell like stinky feet.
I love love love fritos but have probably bought 2 bags in 12 years.
My kids don’t drink soda because they don’t like it–they’re trying to develop a taste for it, but so far, they find it too fizzy (they’re 8 and 5).
I love cheetos! But I don’t buy them. Same with Oreo’s. I can’t stand all the black crumb mess everywhere!!
I don’t buy Puffy Cheetos either. I only buy the crunchy kind. Then I lick my fingers off really good before I touch anything; like Tori’s walls, my car seats, the kids laundry, etc.
I don’t buy my kids brussel sprouts. They won’t eat them. I do buy them lots of fruit and other veggies. I’ve gotta make up for the crunchy Cheetos somewhere
Do you know ANY child, given the choice between a banana or mango or Cheetos, that would choose the fruit? Not I!
I don’t buy them on a regular basis and when I do, its for a special occasion and they’re the baked version. My poor kid doesn’t know what she’s missing.
I WILL NOT buy the Orange Puffs of Death, and my reasons are the same as Tori’s and No Cool Story’s!
I just made a rhyme, which makes me pretty cool for one split second!
If all of you ladies will read Jo’s comment, (My mom never let us have sugar cereal when we were kids. Now that I am a grown-up, it’s all I buy), you will realize that keeping your kids from eating certain foods and candy only makes them want it more. Moderation is the key in life, and not just in the food department.
I’m with Jo and Kathie… moderation is important. Cheetos are fine, but not all the time. They are a “treat”, not everyday food. I grew up on nothing but Chex and Cheerios and I buy 90% sugar cereals for my family too… it’s my small way of rebelling, I guess! DH has some cousins that were so “sheltered” in their food options that when they got something like oreos or ice cream they gorged themselves into sickness because they were so excited to eat something that’s normally “forbidden”!