No pop:until 12 yrs.

[shootingstar]

Interrupting this discussion to post what I think is a wonderful story from The Onion.

Pam

If no marketing, then looks like the parents /adult fans have to spread the good word. Interesting! It's like making baking soda or Xerox machine part of one's life/living...either you like/use it or not.

[Trek420]

If no marketing, then looks like the parents /adult fans have to spread the good word. Interesting! It's like making baking soda or Xerox machine part of one's life/living...either you like/use it or not.

Not likely to happen, the Onion being of course being entirely a humor/parody magazine. The cola/culture wars continue.

We did not have pop at home or rarely did. I knew this was different than other families and there may have been times I felt ... not deprived that's not the word I'm looking for not sure what the right term would be .... just different.

This was 50's-60's I was not bombarded with "everyone must eat fast food all the time and this kind".

My parents were farmers till huge agribusiness made it even more difficult to sustain a small farm. They sold most of the property and both got jobs in town. Even with two parents working full time, three kids, they maintained an astounding garden on the land they kept.

We ate real well.

The joke was if they'd have kept a few chickens, a sheep or two, maybe a cow .... we'd be self sufficient we ate hardly any "junk". Neither of them were "preachy" about eating natural. My sibling Duck on Wheels may have more input on this, it could be because my Dad's degree in chemistry maybe he knew/thought that a more natural diet could be better. My Mom has very strong opinions about genetic modification of food and because beets and therefore beet sugar are often modified she avoids sugar unless it's the natural stuff.

Since she's active, still gardens, able to live independently at 87 ... maybe she's on to something. She credits a philosophy of "keep moving" so maybe you can drink Pepsi, eat chips and ride your bike But we ate fresh, local from the start and I don't crave cola at all.

I like Blue Sky http://drinkbluesky.com/products/index.php?cat=2 but not enough to keep it around.

[GrassyRidge]

My son gets the occasional sip of soda, but at 6 I don't think he's ever really had his own glass. I don't keep much at home and he likes milk and water thank goodness. Sadly I don't cook much and we eat out a lot with my parents. My son thinks kids meals at sit down restaurants come with milk and broccoli!

[Owlie]

The other time I drink pop is if I'm sick and don't have much of an appetite. And then, it's just a glass of Sprite (or maybe cream soda, depending on how I'm feeling) alternated with water.

[smilingcat]

Soft drink got too expensive so we quit cold turkey... That was 5 or 6 years ago. Haven't missed it at all. Then we learned abour High Fructose Corn Syrup. Bad stuff another good reason not to drink that stuff.

Former addict. Used to down a 2-litre bottle a day minimum. not proud

[drdwin]

I have to admit I'm a former Diet Coke addict - stopped it during pregnancy and felt a lot better from a GI standpoint - never really went back. We never offered the kids soda - they drink milk and water with a rare fruit juice - my MIL thought she was going to give my son a "treat" and he took one sip and didn't like it. My sisters kids are the same way - didn't get soda as little kids and ended up not caring for it when they got older.

[shootingstar]

I have to admit I'm a former Diet Coke addict - stopped it during pregnancy and felt a lot better from a GI standpoint - never really went back. We never offered the kids soda - they drink milk and water with a rare fruit juice - my MIL thought she was going to give my son a "treat" and he took one sip and didn't like it. My sisters kids are the same way - didn't get soda as little kids and ended up not caring for it when they got older.

As said earlier, I never liked pop drinks much at all. And it we had it only for special occasions or in restaurants as kids. It was easier for my parents to deal with us: Our childhood diets were 80% Asian-dominant, hence not much sugar in it. Hence, our childhood palate was not hankering for alot of sugared stuff.

I disagree with badgercat who had the fortune of cavity-free teeth and access to pop in her childhood household which didn't affect her weight, etc.: Rationale doesn't work when parents are raising 6 children. If 1-2 children start up a regular unhealthy food habit, it spins off superfast amongst the other sibliings: "I wanna to have a piece of the (unhealthy) food'.

At this time, I believe my brother might drink pop abit more often than his 5 sisters. Rest of us, just aren't particularily interested on a regular basis. Our ages are: 40-50 yrs. So restriction to certain unhealthy foods starting from babyhood....can work sometimes.

So I agree drdwin, just quietly restricting access of pop to kids without lecturing, etc., one can only hope the kids don't acquire a hankering for the stuff at least for next 18 years or when they leave home.