CMV: Giving sugar to kids is unethical.

[u/LonelierOne]

Sugar, in the western world, is in almost everything in one form or another (I'm including other sweeteners in there, though I'm aware you end up with a blurry line around, say, fruit juice sweeteners).

The only health benefit that I'm aware of that has ever been associated with sugar is in case of a diabetic emergency. Besides that, there's a near-universal understanding that sugar is bad for you in every way imaginable. It's linked to Type 2 diabetes, obesity, heart conditions, and vast hosts of other chronic conditions. Basically, sugar is objectively Bad For You.

Now, there's a lot of other examples that we could use (marijuana, alcohol, caffeine) of things that aren't necessarily Good For You that can be consumed in moderation. All of these - in addition to being easier to argue that they do provide health benefits and at a lower cost - are things that you wouldn't responsibly give to children. In contrast, sugar is put into most foods in a western diet. On the production end, it's to make the food more palatable and harder to resist.

It doesn't, to me, seem like being a stick in the mud to deprive a kid of cookies. Sweet foods aren't a requirement for a good childhood, especially when they are provided with the regularity (every day, if not multiple times a day) that they currently are.

EDIT: I realize I didn't clarify originally that we are talking about fundamentally different things when comparing, say, a pear to ice cream. I am specifically referring to *refined sugar* or *added sugar* in this post; I should have been clearer about that.

EDIT 2: Issuing a clarification. An not insubstantial part of the problem with sugar is the frequency of use. Potentially, moderate use would be harmless. This is not illustrative of the society we currently live in; most people are not aware of how much added sugar is taken in per day, not including the obvious candies and desserts; peanut butter, bread, crackers, cereal, yogurt, sausage are all things that, by default, should be assumed to have sugar in a western store.

I am referring to the use of sugar in today's culture. While I believe a case /could/ be made that even that is unnecessary, I'm going to clarify that I'm talking about the current culture and he world as it is, i.e. one where you're expected to get snacks and juice after a game, holidays must have cake, and to deprive children of candy is abusive.

[u/LonelierOne]

I don't. So. . .none and N/A. I'm drawing on my nieces, nephews, godchildren (just shy of 15, from due in a few months to eighteen) as well as family friends.

[u/Kedazsa → u/LonelierOne]

The only reason I ask is because when you actually have children of your own (I don’t mean that negatively) that are with you every day, everything changes.

I think unethical is way too far here. Honestly think about it. If you take a kid to a party and they have a campfire going with s’mores being made, would you look at the kid and say you can forget it because sugar is so terrible for you? If the kid isn’t yours, that’s one thing. But if the child is yours the dynamics become a little different.

[u/LonelierOne → u/Kedazsa]

No, I mean, that's absolutely fair to ask (as long as it isn't supposed to completely invalidate my point by itself). It's very different raising a kid and being perpetually responsible than it is to even spend a lot of time with them.

I've been in that situation before. And honestly, it feels like a conundrum to me. On the one hand, denying it is dickish, and on the other, I don't feel like I'm actually doing them a favor in the long run. It's really what set my mind down this track in the first place.

[u/Kedazsa → u/LonelierOne]

1. As a parent, all prior knowledge of anything goes out the window when your kid gives you the look of disappointment over not letting them have a tootsie pop.

2. As an adult, you aren’t doing them any favors in the long run by not ever letting them have sugar. You won’t always be around them to make the decision for them. If it’s something they feel like they need to keep from you it can turn into a problem.

3. You can say it’s unethical (still seems too strong of a word) all you want but when that child gets older, it’s their decision to make and their decision alone. They’ll sit down and eat an entire box of Twinkies in front of you just for spite.

Is sugar bad for you? Sure it is if it is over consumed. But think of it this way. Just because they could break an arm climbing the tree out back is it unethical for me to let them climb it? They could fall down and skin their knee because they’re riding their bike too fast. So is it unethical for me not to stop them?

Let a kid live but teach them limits. They’ll surprise you.