Every so often I run across well meaning people that need to be slapped with a huge clueByFour. Here's an example from the "My Turn" column in Newsweek. The author is one of those parents worried about excessive candy intake:

Regardless of the example my wife and I attempt to set, we're working against a lot of variables. So why don't we just grin and bear it? Well, because we understand what's at stake. According to a sobering report that recently appeared in The New England Journal of Medicine, the rapid increase in childhood obesity may cause today's children to have a lower life expectancy than I do—shocking in an age of so many advanced health-care techniques. It was only by explaining the risk of type 2 diabetes to my daughter that I was able to coerce her into eating her vegetables—at least for one night.

Looking at the picture in the story, I'd guess that the kid in question is between 8-10. Yeah, a deep explanation of Type II Diabetes is a great way to encourage eating of vegetables. I've never really had that problem with my daughter. Why? Well, we've made sure that fruits and vegetables are available at every meal, and - more importantly - we haven't gone into hysterics at the site of candy. The guy who wrote that piece sounds like the kind of self righteous a****** that everyone else in the neighborhood hates, because every encounter with him leads to a lecture on healthy living. Bah.

Set a good example, make good food available, and don't get all paranoid about candy - your kids will get the message just fine. Or you can do what this guy does, and have every meal turn into an epic battle.