8 Foods I Swore I'd Never Let My Kids Eat, and Then I Had Kids

What can I say, my kids love hot dogs (and so do I). Sure, I buy the organic, farm-raised, grass-fed, nitrate-free, antibiotic-free, blah, blah, blah kind, but every time I serve my tots up a cut-up hot dog for dinner, a little part of me dies.

Source: Flickr user Steven Depolo

To be fair, I kind of still stick true to this one. We don't do juice boxes in our house — I'm in the business of calming my kids down, and pumping them with sugar does not fit my business model. However, at a party or if we're somewhere and that's what's being served then, well, enjoy the rush, kids.

Source: Flickr user Mike Carter

Fast food is gross. We all know that. But sometimes (read: road trips or mall excursions gone terribly wrong) fast food is all that stands between your child and a completely epic meltdown. And in those situations, I choose fast food.

Source: Flickr user Danny Choo

I tried for so long to avoid sugary cereals. I really did. And then my son got a food allergy and all the "healthy" stuff we bought was suddenly out of the question, which meant Froot Loops and Trix became a real option. Do they eat this every morning? Heck no. But yes, my name is Denise and I do buy sugary cereals.

Source: Flickr user Danielle Elder

Honestly, I would pack my children's lunches every single day for eternity if they would let me, but guess who is desperate to try the miniburgers that they sell in her cafeteria? My child. And guess who is going to let her splurge from time to time? This mama.

Source: Flickr user U.S. Department of Agriculture

Maybe it was that time a mom found bugs in her child's applesauce squeeze? Or maybe it was that watching a kiddo suck one down in five seconds flat weirded me out? Regardless, I was not cool with these things. Fast forward to today, when I panic a little if we don't have any in the pantry for, you know, when we're in a hurry and my kids are hungry (which is always).

Source: Flickr user agent j loves nyc

I'm not going to go into details on this one, but let's just say I had an unfortunate experience with cotton candy as a kid. A slight OD situation, if you will. And don't even get me started on the big metal vats that it's made in. Yet, somehow my child convinces me to splurge on the sugary stuff now and again.

Source: Flickr user Michael Bentley

I have new carpeting and my child has lovely new teeth (both of which I'd like to keep around for a while), so gum was always out of the question. Then we went to her 5-year-old checkup and she completely lost her mind when she heard she would be getting a shot. So, in an effort to stop the screaming, I told her she could have a piece of gum afterward. Game over.

Source: Flickr user Ganesha Balunsat