Soda at school

[LindaLS]

People seem to be forgetting that not all kids are the same either. Our son completely rejected most vegetables from the time he started eating solids and he hasn't stopped once. He is now 19. I love salads and veggies so he saw me eating and enjoying them all of his life. You can lead a horse to water as they say.

Luckily he likes fruit and grains but he also likes cokes and fast food. At 19, I can only roll my eyes.

[GTW's Mommy]

Originally Posted by Angelbaby

That's not entirely true. My son's best friend comes over...If I pick up donuts for breakfast, he asks for an apple. If we go to Gatti Town he fills his plate with salad and maybe picks at one piece of pizza. I know that's not the norm...but they are out there.

Of course I have also heard of the kids that parents never let them eat any junk food and then they go off to college and gain 30 pounds in the first year eating all the things that were forbidden while they lived at home.

Sad but true and should be the norm really.... My kids are the same way and only becuase they are used to eating that way - they prefer it. As a matter of fact when they eat something bad (french fries and chicken nuggets, too much candy, soda) I can tell they don't feel well. That's a sure sign for me to continue to feed my children healthy choices consistently.

Moderation is fine, but really nutrition is a small, very small thing we can do for our chlildren and people should take it more seriously becuase predisposing our children to diabetes and heart problems due to diet is IMO parent's slowly killing a child. My brother is severely overweight and his is 13 - has had a hard time in school, can't run and play with everyone else, and I tell my mom all the time that she has predisposed him to insecurity, eating disorders, diabetes, heart issues, depression etc (and now she's trying to take back what she started and it's very difficult for her to do). Such a diservice to our children and really it is much more serious than we know and parent's really should talk to their children about good choices for eating, and excersice just as much as not talking to strangers.

OK so last story but I do see an association with addiction and soda (or anything for that matter) from my own experience as a parent.. My oldest (I never gave him soda). He had some health issues so, I was very strict with his diet. He continues to only drink water - he does not like soda at all. My youngest tried it a few times and now, It's difficult for me to get him not to ask for it or steal someone else's soda if he sees it. Only wish I never gave it to him either I have recently sat down with him and talked to him about soda and how terrible it is for you (because it is) and he's tried to make better choices (like sprite which is still bad but better than diet coke) but I still wish I never started.

[GTW's Mommy]

Another sad thing about unhealthy food IMO is just laziness of parents. A friend of mine feeds her kids frozen fried stuff every night (with occassional broccoli). She really is exhausted becuase she works a ton, but she does have a nanny that if she actually took the time to write out a menu and have the nanny prep it the kids would actually eat more healthfully.

I recently started working and I will say figuring out how to feed them healthy (when I'm not home) has been very hard for me. But I do take the time to plan a menu, write it down and talk to my mom (who watches my kids) about choices for them. It is a TON of work - really to get kids to eat healthy stuff that tastes good is work (it can be a full-time job by itself). I know becuase I do it every week I have to work.

I have tried to get my kids involved more about choices and foods to kind of help me. My rules - nothing bad unless one good thing is injested first (now that I am not home to monitor becuase they eat all day because growing kids are hungry). So they know (if they want a fruit roll up or, a bag of chips, or peanut butter crackers - pretty much anything in a package, they must eat something out of a package first - apple and peanut butter, almonds, oranges, grapes, carrots, pistaccios (sp), yogart, granola. They follow it because they do it for me now all the time and I don't have to say anything. They say mom, I had yogart can I have animal crackers now? It works great.

[newmom]

Hmmm...interesting thread.
We're one of those...who don't keep sodas at home (or even juice)....6yr old doesn't like either and older one bloats like a balloon from them.

Yeah, I would say you have the right to send your kid with whatever you'd like for them to eat or drink.

I just remember...being a teacher on that last day of school...God Almighty...I used to think...if you ever appreciated anything I did for your child..please don't add to the crazy on the last day of school.
I kid, I kid..I had already given up by the last day anyway....
I kid, I kid.

[Tooleman]

This is the Toolemans kid we are talking about here. He probably set a record for notes coming home to mommy =)

And he doesnt even have ADHD..

[Drivin'tooFast]

We usually give them a double expresso latte at the end of the B-day party, slap 'em on the backside and send them home.