Two’s plenty - Easter eggs

JUST as much as everyone likes to enjoy a good time, no one looks forward to meeting the office killjoy. Life is too short to offer the naysayers an ear to bend even if they sometimes speak the truth. Today’s report that some Irish children will be given, by people who imagine themselves responsible, up to 15 chocolate Easter eggs is one such moment.

Not to put too fine a tooth in it, giving a child 15 Easter eggs is a form of child abuse, and defies every idea of responsible behaviour. Such excess is a threat to their physical and psychological wellbeing.

Just last week, Britain promised to introduce a sugar tax on soft drinks in an effort to fight obesity. Last year, the WHO warned that we are well on our way to becoming Europe’s most overweight society. The MummyPages survey was not entirely bleak. It pointed out that 74% of mums intercept some of their child’s Easter eggs without their knowledge, and 91% of mothers ration chocolate. Losing excess weight is a lifelong challenge and those who allow a child more than an egg or two are creating a store of misery. Don’t do it.