Should children under the age of 13 be allowed to drink soda?

Don't you know that Halo is for 17+ thanks to the ESRB rating of Mature?

 

Horrible idea. Might as well ban Halloween, donuts, cakes, cookies, and a whole bunch of other stuff.

I let my kids drink soda. It's not a big deal. I also let them eat cookies, desert, McDonalds, etc. They also go trick-or-treating once a year.

It's a parent's choice and responsibility. Most things in moderation are okay. On Thursdays, my older kid has school, homework, dance classes, and karate. It's 7:30 pm by the time she's done. She's tired and had a very full day. I'm tired too and it's getting late. A happy meal at that time is okay by my book.

I am more curious about how parents vote on this. I am guessing that most people who voted NO don't actually have kids. So if you're a parent please leave a comment!

 

YEA!
I think this includes parents being able to hand out a few more *ssWipings

Rocket River

 

Kids should be able to wipe their own asses.

 

Agreed. My son is 4 and he has never had soda. If we are at a restaurant, he drinks milk, juice, or water. At home, the same thing. Its a little easier since we typically don't have soda at home. My wife and I may order it when we are out, but not all of the time.

I'm sure once he gets older and his friends are regularly drinking Coke it will get harder, but its pretty easy now.

If you want to deter someone from drinking soda or eating junk food, you have to start forming good eating habits early. Encourage fruits and vegetables as snacks, not cake and cookies. We still have sweets, but not every day. Just on special occasions (birthdays, holidays). My son knows that these things are foods that you don't eat everyday. Again, as he gets older, it will be harder to "police" but hopefully he already has formed some good eating habits, and will make good choices most of the time.

To be fair, I grew up eating french fries, little debby snack cakes, drinking Kool-Aid and Coke, and I turned out fine, although I have had a few cavities.

 

Soda's banned at my kids' school. It's not sold at the school and the kids are not allowed to bring it. I'm OK with that. (and so are the older kids who simply buy it at the convenience store next door ).

 

If you're asking should parents let their kids drink soda, then I don't have a problem with someone voting no. It's their choice. However, like anything else, soda is fine in moderation. I drank way too much soda when I was a youngster but I also didn't sit on the couch all day. I'm perfectly fine today.

If you're asking if the government should make soda illegal for kids under 13 then I just have to shake my head and wonder why in the world anyone would think that ban is alright.

 

well said

 

I think we should ban baby formula.

Stupid parents too lazy to feed their kids what is best for them. Natural mothers milk.

If your Mom is too lazy to breast feed you then you deserve to die!!!

 

I fall distinctly into the camp of those who feel like we've talked way too much about soda here.

 

For real.



Anyone tried the new Saint Arnold reserve (Divine)? Most excellent. I had the number 8 (they're putting them out in batches).

 

wait....WHAT???? NO..I HAVEN'T!!

 

mmmmm beer

They are'nt kidding about the "sells out quickly thing", either. I had a hard time finding a 6 pack of this stuff at the local marts.




Beats the pants off the christmas ale. And german beers are still better, anyhow.

 

i'm gonna forgive your sneaky little 1 font size Christmas Ale jab and just thank you for alerting me to this divine stuff.

 

We should prevent kids from having soda/candy/crap sold to them (especially exclusively) in schools at least.

 

In all seriousness, I do think it's better than the xmas ale. At least the batch I had was. I like the christmas ale, but this was really impressive. Can't wait for the next round.

 

sounds great. i checked out the website and they have a Christmas Ale tshirt for sale. seriously, who more than me should own that shirt?

 

Sure we can ban it. But then you'll have little kids paying hobos to buy 6 packs for them.

And don't get me started on the wild binges when they finally get their hands on it....

 

Wow. If you're going to derail a thread, that's a GREAT way to do it. Who is that blonde? She's real purty.

 

Well, seeing how the title of the thread and the subject of the poll are complete opposites, I don't blame you, and I'm not sure how we can use any data we obtain from it.

My kids don't drink soda. I have some in the house, but mostly for mixed drinks. Occasionally they ask for soda (very rare), and I tell them they don't need to be drinking that, and offer an alternative. Not that big a deal. But BAN it? now we're going to, what, make it illegal? Let me guess... we can get CPS involved in enforcement, and if someone sees someone's kid drinking a soda, and they are under 13, I mean, the HORRAH! CHILD ABUSERS?!

Personally I don't want government telling me what my kids can and cannot eat or drink in terms of general foodstuff/beverages. Seriously, have we become THAT controlling?

So... to answer both the OP title question AND the actual poll question:

In my opinion, some soda in moderation, even among younger kids) isn't as horrible as some make it out to be, but I try to have my kids drink something that's healthier... they're fine with that. Should they be allowed? Sure, though as stated, as a parent I try to avoid them having any.

As for 'should it be BANNED for 13 and under?' Ummmmm no. Surely we have better things to worry about than whether or not the neighbor allowed a 12 year old to drink a coke after a ball game.