The Ice Cream Man Didn't Do It

Apparently, parents everywhere, are complaining about the ice cream man. He is on playgrounds and parks, hawking his wares each and every day throughout the summer, luring their precious spawn into begging for frozen treats. All this whining about how the ice cream man is always around, even at times when they don't want to purchase ice cream. Don't they realize that the ice cream man is not responsible for their children's ice cream issues?

Surprisingly (to me at least) these parents are not necessarily opposed to the ice cream in principal, they are just opposed to hearing their darlings whine for it, each and every day, at inopportune times. Don't get me wrong, I too have issues with the ice cream man but they are not the same. The difference is, I am not disturbed by his presence. He can turn up wherever he pleases (except in front of our house at Izzy's bedtime where the noise keeps him awake) but I will rarely, if ever purchase anything from him. The ice cream he sells, for the most part, is pure junk food, those cartoon-shaped pops being the absolute worst.

Izzy does not beg or plead for ice cream on a regular basis and for that I am grateful. I have made it quite clear, from early on that we just don't buy ice cream from the ice cream man. I certainly do not deprive Izzy of ice cream, as it is one of my favorite desserts. We either make it ourselves or buy it at ice cream parlours. We do buy the occasional ices from the ice lady and while at the beach we purchased a Froze Fruit (which has gone from being a reasonably healthful snack to a corn syrup laden pop) but that's about it.

Bottom-line: Parents need to stop blaming the ice cream man for causing meltdowns. Just saying NO to ice cream will go a long way towards teaching children to make better food choices. At the same time, be sure to offer other snack options so that your children don't feel deprived.