Here they come again. My partner, my children and a car loaded with groceries. Our empty fridge and freezer are again filled with food that we can fill our bellies with for a whole week. The pantry is also equipped with all kinds of delicacies. And yes… there is also a new suit with sprinkles. They've done it again. This time the pack contains not only hail, but also pink, red and white hearts. I'm getting ready for the fight at the table again. Do you recognize that?
My daughters (and I think almost all children in the Netherlands) love chocolate sprinkles. It doesn't really matter which flavor, it's actually more about the rest of the content. You probably know those funnies. At our house you can always find a pack with those XXL granules. That tastes even better… especially my partner thinks. And of course my children like to eat with it.
Of course it's great that everyone at my house loves chocolate sprinkles so much, but I still think it's mostly unhealthy. I have therefore introduced the rule that only a maximum of one slice of bread may be sprinkled with each meal. Still, it's not easy for me to stick to this. I keep forgetting it and I get into a fight about it with my children, because my partner puts more than one sandwich with it per meal. Not entirely fair of course. But if that were the only battle at the table now, we would still get there.
Unfortunately, we know a lot more battles at the table… and you probably recognize them too.
The problem of sprinkles only really gets bigger when, in addition to sprinkles, there is something else nice in the suit:polar bears, monkeys, Easter bunnies, stars. Every time they come up with something new to get kids (and dads!) to take a suit home. There are even Minions! I bet they're already arguing in front of the shelves about which extras they want this time (and then it's not about the sprinkles). This is how the battle at the table actually starts in the supermarket. Brrr.
The amount of these small, colorful, sugary sweet things differs per pack. If there are many, then the problem is still manageable. If there are few, then it becomes a hopeless situation at our table. The fact is that not every time you sprinkle a sandwich with it, a figure ends up between the hailstones. If not, then I have an angry child. Especially if one of my other daughters managed to do it and looks proudly at all the beauty on her sandwich.
Of course, this daughter then goes the extra mile and says something like:'I do have hearts and you don't!' Then I have an even angrier child or worse, two children arguing. The battle at the table is complete. Thank you mister sprinkles maker!
Still, I'm glad that my partner does the shopping with the children every week, which is why I don't say anything about it (yet). They deserved a nice sandwich with sprinkles, but I wish the battle could be a little less.
Book tip:A book that can help you on your way is How2Talk2kids, brothers and sisters without rivalry, highly recommended!
