Do you allow your kids to drink Mountain Dew?

[redsquirrel]

I don't allow soda or caffeine for my kids. If they bought it with their own money, I would be surprised because they generally don't bother with such things. If they were their current ages, 12 and 7, I might try to dissuade them from wasting their money. If they really wanted to try it, I would allow it.

 

A big teenager, I don't think I could really prevent it. I don't think I would want it in the house though. Again, my kids tend to make very healthy choices so I would be more interesting in knowing what was going on with them. Both of them, like their mother, usually feels ill after eating junky food so there is an instant feedback loop.

 

In the end, it's just one soda. They have to deal with it in their bodies, not me.

[Lily_Grace]

My kid is 13. If he buys a soda I'm not going to make a fuss, but I'm not going to buy it for him. When we go out to eat we get 2 liters of water for the table. We drink water and tea at home. An occasional soda isn't going to kill him.

On the upside, the few sodas he's had over the past 4+ years have been European versions, so he's not a fan of the taste of the HFCS ones really. Fanta is more his thing now that we can't get Pedras (juice sweetened carbonated water).

 

Fanta here contains carbonated water, orange juice, sugar, and vit. c.

 

Fanta in the U.S. contains Carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup and/or sucrose, citric acid, sodium benzoate, modified food starch, natural and artificial flavors, sucrose acetate isobutyrate, sodium polyphosphates, coconut oil, yellow 6, brominated vegetable oil, red 40, dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate.

 

 

I accidentally bought American Fanta for a party and all the kids told me it tasted bad.

[Delirium]

Yes, so long as it abides the no HFCS rule and brush your teeth after. We generally only drink sodas on special occasions and family activity nights.

[Joyofsixreboot]

My 16, 18 and 20 yo buy their own. My others get pop maybe 2-3 times/ month.

[Kelly1730]

We don't purchase soda to have at home. If we are out to eat, they may choose soda to drink (ours usually choose root beer). If my teens wanted to purchase it with their own money while they were out somewhere, that would be fine but I don't want any extra sitting around in the fridge.

[Lizzie in Ma]

We very rarely have soda in the house, if they want to have one elsewhere it is so infrequent that it wouldn't bother me.

[creekland]

We've never limited legal drinks after the kids were older than toddler age. I also buy soda - sometimes even Mt Dew, but usually store brands. It all depends upon price.

 

Well, I guess I say we've never limited legal drinks, but my kids don't guzzle soda (or anything) the way I've seen some of their peers do (some go through a 2L per day). If they were to drink huge amounts, I might reconsider.

 

FWIW, my kids are on the low end of average weight (not underweight, but generally around the 25% range). My youngest just got his BMI up to an acceptable number. I'm not worried about what they consume.

 

Now for ME, I limit what I consume in empty calories... ;)

[LaxMom]

No, our children don't drink soda (or the non-carbonated "drink" things, either), except on very rare occasions. Then, they get non-chemical, sugar sweetened natural soda.

 

I have no problem with caffeine - they drink tea and the 11yo will sometimes have a cup of coffee. I take exception to the dyes, chemical flavorings, and HFCS or artificial sweeteners. :ack2: Not. Food.

[gingersmom]

My son dislikes all soda so its a non-issue.

 

My daughter drinks the occasional diet pepsi.

 

She does love Snapple though.

[Mommyfaithe]

No. However, that does not stop the older ones from buying it on their own dime. I do not have to financially support anything I do not agree with....and I make sure the olders are respectful of our rules, in our home, in front of our little kids.

Faithe

[FiveOaksAcademy]

We don't keep soft drinks in the house. It's one of those things that once it starts, I couldn't/wouldn't want to keep up with the amount they would drink, and I wouldn't want them to have that addiction. We keep things to water, milk, and the occasional pitcher of tea.

 

When we go places, we stop at Sonic during happy hour and get all of us a soft drink. My teens can have them when they are doing things outside of the house, and I certainly wouldn't try to limit that unless I saw a problem. But I wouldn't let them bring a bunch of it in the house, even on their own dime, because it would create an issue with the younger kids wanting it, add arguments that don't need to be there, etc.

[Mom in High Heels]

Usually on Sunday we have family movie day where we make popcorn, drink soda and watch a movie. These are Indy's favorite days. If we go out to lunch, he shares a soda with me and/or dh. He loves soda, but knows it''s a sometimes food. He usually chooses root beer (which I think is vile), but sometimes will ask for a Dr. Pepper. He's never asked for Mountain Dew, but he has had a few sips when Jams Bond or I get one.

 

Mine don't have soda often, but yes we allow MD. We can get Mountain Dew throwback, which is made w/ sugar, not corn syrup.

 

Throwback Mountain Dew! OMG, it's so good!!!! Our commissary (military grocery store) only gets it once or twice a year and it sells out in a heart beat. Several people, including James Bond, have lobbied to get it as a full time stock item, but they won't do it. Boo. When it does come in stock, James Bond buys as much of it as he can. The last time they had it, he bought 14 of the 12 pack boxes and stored them in the trunk of his car. They lasted quite a while, but JB is a soda junkie and will drink nothing but if I didn't bug him about being a bad example. Even Indy tells him it's not good for him to drink so much. He saw a Dr. Oz episode one day where they said even one soda a day can increase your risk of....something (I can't remember!) and it stuck with Indy. :D

 

I absolutely hate Coke. Hate. It. There's just something about it that tastes weird, but I like European Coke. It's made with sugar as HFCS is not allowed over here, so maybe that's why. There are apparently a ton of people who love Mexican Coke because they say it tastes better. It too is made with sugar. IIRC, they even have a FB page.

[FiveOaksAcademy]

I didn't even address the actual question, but went all into softdrinks. :D

 

No, they don't drink Mountain Dew, but it's because they don't really like it. When my husband is driving and needs the boost, he will occasionally buy one for the major caffeine, but that's about 3 times a year.

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

My kids are still young, but I have told them that soda pop is only for parties. I hope they always think that. I would discourage them from drinking Mountain Dew at any age, but if they buy it with their own spending money, I wouldn't "forbid" it. I'd just show them research on the harmful effects of the chemicals in Mountain Dew.

[Lolly]

I don't usually buy soda for the house. Not because I have a particular aversion to it, but because it just costs so much and they drink it so fast. I don't care if they drink Mountain Dew. I do not micromanage my kids; they are plenty old enough to make decisions on their own/especially about what they are drinking (legally).

[Jenny in Florida]

Since it is a health issue for you why diet instead of regular? I would rather my kids have the regular sugar of a coke than the aspartame of a diet kwim.

 

Good for you.

 

In our case, we don't drink refined sugar unless we know how it was processed (vegan thing).

[Hoot]

DS13 is not allowed to have soda at home unless it is a special occasion like a birthday, holiday party or cookout. Even then, most of the time he will take 2 sips and ask for water. He is also allowed to drink it sometimes when we go out to eat, which is very rare. As for Mountain Dew specifically, absolutely never! DS has severe migraines and too much sugar and caffeine really affect him negatively.

 

If he wanted to buy soda with his own money, I would consider it as a very infrequent treat. Mt. Dew, however, would still be a NO. I consider it to be right up there with Red Bull and that's not something I want to start. Luckily, at this point, when DS gets money he has never considered the idea of buying soda or candy so we haven't had to go there yet.

[amy g.]

Raw milk yes.

Mountain Dew never.

[Scuff]

I allow them to have pop so infrequently that if they are going to have some, they can choose Mountain Dew if they want. (which mom cringes inside) We treat it like desert, because it really is.

[TheReader]

We had a no-caffeine rule when the boys were younger; it's gone out the window now.

 

We make decaf iced tea for home consumption. We don't keep sodas in the house for "regular" consumption but do allow them as a treat, for parties, etc. We will often by a single 2-liter for the weekend; split between the 5 of us, that's just about 1 glass with lunch Saturday and 1 glass with lunch Sunday. I'm fine with that.

 

We also allow the boys small amounts of coffee on occassion, though they get regular coffee in an espresso sized cup that is half coffee, half milk, and terrible amounts of sugar. Just a cultural thing here....

 

We do allow it when we eat out, mainly because here it is *cheaper* than other drinks (juice, which is loads better & fresh, costs 2x as much; water is not free, as it is only bottled and costs about the same) and because some restaurants are beginning to offer "free refills" of soft drinks (though the "free refill" cup costs about R$2 more than a single can; still, saves $ in the long run if we are having a long leisurely meal out).

 

But, my favorite funny anecdote re: caffeine rules --- when our youngest was born (9 wks early), he had problems with his heart rate dropping. He was put on caffeine, via IV, to help regulate his heart rate. My poor DH was beside himself that his premature infant son was getting caffeine intraveinously while his 7 and 4 yr old sons had never been allowed so much as a sip of coke in their lives.

 

Anyway, we've loosened up since then.

[Danestress]

My kids are very healthy eaters and drinkers and will most often choose water. Their coaches have drilled into their heads that soda is evil, and they don't drink it much at all. Nor do dh and I. I think ultimately you have to convince your kids of why certain options are better then others.

 

But if I am a believer in letting teens make choices. This seems like the kind of thing that a mother should stop trying to control. If you are only willing to let your children make 'good' decisions, you will end up letting them make very few decisions at all, and that is going to be bad long term.

 

I would let them buy soda out if they want, but would not allow them to keep it in the house. So if they choose mountain dew when out at the movies, fine. But I would not let them keep a 2 liter bottle at the house. Does that make sense?

Edited July 19, 2012 by Danestress

[lynn]

Not an issue here. Everything in moderation.

[BigMamaBird]

We don't drink a lot of pop in our house. We only ever buy it when we've got company coming. Right now, they'll all early elementary or younger and the oldest two have tried pop and promptly spit it out with disgusted faces. When they get older we'll allow them to drink it if it's around. But it's so rarely around that, while in the home, they'll never really have much.

[mom2scouts]

We don't regularly have soft drinks in our house, but I don't restrict it when we go out. My teenager (17) loves Mountain Dew and at first I would comment about the amount of caffeine in it. At one point, a psychologist friend pointed out that my teen has ADHD and the stimulants are often helpful and I realized she was right. When we have soft drinks, I let him choose what he wants.

[goldberry]

We never kept soda in the house when DD was younger. If we were out she could order one, but usually chose water.

 

Now we have it occasionally when company comes or something. Again, no hard and fast rules because there has never been overdoing. (One day she did try to have two in one day...I gave her a LOOK, and she put it back.)

 

When she is old enough to have her own money and go out with friends, she can buy and drink what she wants (legally:)

 

She is educated about healthy food choices...so was I but ate horribly in my 20s. It took awhile to kick in, and maybe it will for her too. I don't view that as a hill to die on.

[TravelingChris]

I never bought sodas for home. The kids did occasionally have a chance to have them at parties, events, etc. Oldest likes soda and buys it. He doesn't live at home but even when he did, he would buy some with him own money if he had any. Middle never liked soda at all. YOungest like soda but can't have it anymore due to allergies. I think my oldest may sometimes drink Mountain Dew but whatever he drinks now has to be very cheap because he is managing to live alone and maintain a car and insurance on only a bit more than minimum wage, so I bet he doesn't buy much.

[TravelingChris]

I never bought sodas for home. The kids did occasionally have a chance to have them at parties, events, etc. Oldest likes soda and buys it. He doesn't live at home but even when he did, he would buy some with him own money if he had any. Middle never liked soda at all. YOungest like soda but can't have it anymore due to allergies. I think my oldest may sometimes drink Mountain Dew but whatever he drinks now has to be very cheap because he is managing to live alone and maintain a car and insurance on only a bit more than minimum wage, so I bet he doesn't buy much.

 

Oh and I had no problems with caffeine. Any of them could drink coffee or tea but only the youngest actually wants to have a cup in the morning.

[thefragile7393]

In my house I rarely buy soda....even if I do it's Hansen's or Blue Sky but even real sugar is sugar so it's a rare event. Outside the home....well....hard to control. If they were out with friends or something I wouldn't fuss unless it was an allergen issue.

[fairfarmhand]

We do not buy any soda to have at home, but when the kids are out and pay with their own money, they may buy soda if they wish. No limit, but they never buy more than a single drink anyway.

ETA: Nobody likes Mt Dew. DS likes Dr. Pepper. DD is much more likely to buy iced tea or frappucino than soda.

:iagree: my kids get mouth sores from drinking too much soda, and they realize that they will be in pain if they do so, so generally they are good about self-regulation.

[mama2cntrykids]

Well, considering the teen-ager in the house is almost 18, has his own car and job...yes, he does drink Mt. Dew. But he also drinks a lot of bottled tea, so I'm not too worried. Besides, he's almost an adult:D.

 

Now...if we're talking about the younger kids, no they don't drink caffene (sp?) at all. Have the youngers had Mt. Dew? The boys have, but they were with someone else helping do some yard work and that's what the person gave them as a thank-you. I really wasn't too bothered by it.

[Nestof3]

We buy soda if we order pizza, and they are allowed to get a soda if we go out to dinner (that doesn't happen often). I don't get restrictive about food during holidays, celebrations or meals out.

 

We don't buy Mt. Dew, and the boys have only ordered it once.

Edited July 19, 2012 by nestof3

[Farrar]

I knew someone that the yellow dye in that caused to have seizures. It's toxic beyond just the other sodas in my mind.

 

But when kids are teens with their own money... Eh, pick your battles. Assuming there are no EMTs involved.

[SilverMoon]

Absolutely not. :ack2: My teenager turns into Hammie from Over the Hedge on Mountain Dew. :mellow: The ramifications will impact the whole family for the rest of the day. We don't consider that his call to make. :tongue_smilie:

 

 

I do let mine get a junky soda or Icee once a week. They all know to get the caramel colored or dye free options, fully leaded (no diet or one calorie mixes). FWIW, they rarely eat candy, I only use organic cane sugar for baking, and they all eat a healthy diet high in fruits and vegetables. As horrible as HFCS is I'd rather they have that then the "diet" sugars.

Edited July 19, 2012 by SilverMoon

[sassenach]

Teens are so hard! They start making money and suddenly, we get a lot less say in what they eat. I don't allow soda in our home. However, when dd eats out or buys something for herself at the store, I don't really have any control over that. My oldest is a sugar fiend. I am trying to steer her right, but it's a lesson that she's really going to have to learn for herself.