We never had soda when I was growing up, and we never had it in the house when my daughters were growing up either. Kids need nutritious food to grow on, not junk! Whether it's a 'special occasion' or just a normal meal, soda basically fills kids up with high fructose corn syrup and then they don't want to eat real food. In my view it's not a 'drink'- it's more like drinking candy.

Anyway, thought I mention that I went to a neighbor's house last week when she was giving a birthday party for her 9 yr old son. There were about 12 active boys there, and notably no soda at all. When the home made cake was served, everyone had a choice of milk, apple cider, or water. Most of the boys drank milk and thought nothing of it. Not your typical kid's party, and it seemed pretty refreshing to me for a change.