Watch the Snacks - Chrissy Wiles Harrison

Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8 NLT

I generally try to make the best decisions with the food in our house. But let’s be transparent. That doesn’t always happen.

For instance, my toddler was once a really good eater—fruit, yogurt, granola/fruit bars, meat, vegetables, etc. Recently, however, he’s discovered junk food. We will blame this on a mixture of holidays and grandparents. He wants junk for breakfast, junk for lunch, and junk for dinner. You name it. Gummies. Marshmallows. Jellybeans. Goldfish. Fruit roll-ups.

His addiction has become a daily battle—one that overflows to the older two kids. And, honestly, even to the two parents in the house, too, because, hey, when it’s right there in front of us looking so tasty, it’s what we choose. Every. Single. Time. We mumble, “One piece won’t be a big deal. Sure, you can have that. Just this one time.” Thennnn, it becomes more than once. And the battle is brutal. Have you ever fought a toddler? They are such sweet villains.

But moving on . . .

Junk food is just one example of how these sweet little people in my house like to test the limits we’ve set for them. Another is screen time—what they are allowed to watch. And their words. And the people we let them be around.

We compromise. And it has made me think about how this resembles sin. When we allow sin to hang out in front of us, we make it easier to make the wrong choice—to compromise. When we keep junk food visible, it is much easier to choose it than the healthy stuff.

Our job as parents is to protect and teach our kids while they are under our roof. To create boundaries and teach them boundaries for themselves. To help them know the difference between what is good for them and what is too much.

We must watch their eyes—our eyes. We must watch the stuff we put in front of us—food, entertainment, relationships. The list is endless. We must constantly be on guard—to show them the way, to watch the snacks.

Make a plan to watch those snacks for yourself—and for the ones you love.

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Chrissy Wiles Harrison is a homeschooling mom who shares her home with four rambunctious boys, one husband, and a small pooch—and loves every minute of it.  

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