MichaelFarker

That was a fascinating article.

Parents must take responsibility for their children, and that seemed to be the main point.

I started thinking about it. You know, some medical studies show that high fructose corn syrup is physically addictive. A lot of studies show that a high fat diet as an adult shortens your lifespan. And studies show clear links between children having high sugar diets and being fat or even diabetic. As a survivor of husky jeans I can testify that fat kids don't enjoy life as much. And overcoming food addictions was harder for me than overcoming a drug addiction.

When I was a child, desert was a reward for good behavior. In fact, it was a sign of being loved. If you didn't eat all the meat and pasta on your plate you were punished. There's something unhealthy there.

On the other hand, you cannot expect a babysitter to prepare a meal from scratch while paying full attention to your children. There's nothing wrong with frozen food and boxed dinners. And it doesn't hurt to take the weekend to prepare something good for a babysitter (or yourself) to microwave when things are hectic.

There's no reason to eliminate all sweets. Then again my having a package of donuts, 1/4 of a gallon of ice cream, and 5-6 sodas every day messed up my health as a child.

Everyone needs moderation. This goes double for parents who are instilling life-long habits in children. Kids immitate what you do more than they follow what you say.