It’s tempting, but parents need to watch out for what kids pick up on party buffets.

I had the honor this morning of serving breakfast to graduating 5th graders at my daughter’s school this morning. She’s got one more year to go in elementary school, so the event gave me a glimpse of what next year will be.

We loaded up a buffet of breakfast treats for parents and the students. Fresh fruit, muffins, and bagels were there as were the cafeteria’s famous sticky buns. It was a great mix of treats and good choices.

But as I stood there serving, I noticed that folks were making choices with an emphasis on sugary, refined carbs. And I realized that might be because that’s the stuff we put at the front of the buffet. All the fruit was at the end, and a lot of kids passed, probably because they didn’t have any room left on their plates. I admit a lot of the adults did the same.

It made me think that we as parents need to remind our kids that even come celebration time, we need to make realistic food choices. Will they really eat three powdered donuts AND a sticky bun? Are the blueberry muffins and a whole bagel a typical breakfast. Ask those questions ahead of time, so once they saddle up to the buffet, the unconscious will help them make better decisions.