Why Does My Kid Always Want Snacks?

How to manage snack time so everyone stays sane.

Welcome to Is My Kid the Asshole?, a newsletter from science and parenting journalist Melinda Wenner Moyer, which you can read more about here. If you like it, please subscribe and/or share this post with someone else who would too.

Dear Is My Kid the Asshole,

My child is a snackaholic. As soon as breakfast as over, he’s asking for cheddar bunnies, and eight minutes after he finishes those, he wants fruit snacks. And so on and so on. It drives me nuts, and I suspect all this snacking isn’t good for him. Help!

Fondly,

I Swear My Name Isn’t Annie

Dear I Swear My Name Isn’t Annie,

Greetings from Vermont, where we’re on a short vacation. If you saw how many snacks I packed for our trip, I think you would feel better. Not only is my six-year-old also a snackaholic, but when she doesn’t get enough snacks, she turns into something far worse.

In all seriousness, managing snacks with kids can practically be a full-time job — and that’s not necessarily because you’re doing something wrong.