Kids and Discipline


We held a chat on discipline. Many of the parents were trying to sort out how to handle children who were exhibiting these types of behaviors. They listed all the typical interventions you have heard: time outs, warnings, taking away privileges, negotiating – all the things the experts tell you to do. They also noted the things that the experts tell you not to do like yelling and smacking. These will not work with sugar sensitive children. Little sugar addicts are in an altered state when their chemistry is off. They are not rational. Punishment or discipline does not achieve the desired effect.

If you can begin to look at these behaviors in a new way, you may be able to come up with some creative alternatives to what you have been doing. If your little sugar sensitive child starts acting up, feed him. Give him some protein and fruit right away. The fruit will deal with any sugar withdrawal that might be operating and will provide quick blood sugar relief. The protein will provide sustained, time-release support to his blood sugar.

We have a funny saying in our parent community – “cheese not soap”. A cheese stick does wonders for a mouthy kid. Keep cheese sticks in the refrigerator all the time. Carry almonds in your purse. Put cheese and crackers in the glove compartment. Always have some power food available. Know where to stop and what to get in an emergency.

Yesterday my 13 year old did not do his chores exactly right and when I asked him to finish them correctly, he said, “Mom, what do you expect? It is not my fault that I forgot to finish – it is my messed up biochemistry.” My kids are too smart for me – but I was able to counter him by tossing him a cheese stick. And it worked. Today I noticed my husband giving the kids protein. And even better – telling the kids to wait for a sugar treat until dinner. Sometimes I think I need to stop thinking so much and just start doing. My husband did not need the whole theory, he just thought it made sense and gave it a try. I think I can learn from this. DeAnna.

Feed your children when they come home from school. They cannot go from noon 'til six. Their metabolism simply cannot cope with that amount of time without eating. If you are home, fix them something. If you work and they are responsible for after school fare, make sure to stock up and leave sufficient choices for them. Many children do really well with leftovers. If you make extra and have planned overs, you can make it really easy for your children to snack when they get home.

For children who play after school sports, a planned snack is even more important. Pack an extra sandwich. Send along shake mix in a plastic bag. Your child can get an extra carton of milk and mix it with the protein powder. Or you can get some dry milk powder and mix it with the protein powder, put it in a shaker cup and stash it in the backpack.

Many parents send sandwiches with lunchmeat or peanut butter for after school snacks. Go back and look again at the discussion of the protein amount your child needs. Generally speaking, shoot for a snack to contain 1/2 the protein that a meal will contain. If your child needs 20 grams of protein for breakfast, she will need 10 grams for her snack. A slice of bologna has about 3 grams, so it may not be the best choice. As they do these calculations, most parents realize that the snacks they have been providing are low in protein. A number of people have reported a huge change in their child’s attitude just from this one change. Getting enough to eat and regular intervals is crucial for the sugar sensitive child. Maintaining a stable blood sugar is significantly more important in children than in adults and I think it s easy for parents to miss this.

(c) Kathleen DesMaisons 2006. All rights reserved.