Is it going too far to suggest fining people who give their kids sugary food and/or caffeinated drinks in public?

At a coffee shop today, two small children were running around screaming, bumping into things, grabbing on to me to steady themselves lest they fall and hit their little heads. You can bet there’d be hell to pay if I grabbed them, so why do they get to grab me? But I digress.

Just when they were calming down, and the rest of us could carry on carrying on our conversations, mom decides to feed them coke and biscuits. Sugar and caffeine…an obnoxious combination perpetrated upon a child and paid for by the rest of us. Mom even got annoyed with child for getting uber-hyper. She actually said “Sit down and drink your coke.” I nearly pissed myself laughing. “How can he sit down,” I snorted. “He’s high.” Lost, lost, lost on her.

I’ve often wondered why parents even bother to start their children on sugar and caffeine. Why do they give them sweeties in the first place? It’s only starting them down the path of what could be a lifetime obsession. “Oh, it’s just one little ice cream.” Several stone later, and your kid is hating you for not teaching him the fundamentals of nutrition.

Anyway, back to the fining. I’m sure that sometime in the very near future, smokers will be fined for lighting up in public. Can we do the same to parents feeding children caffeine and sugar in public places…please…

Related posts:

1. The Public School System
2. PUBLIC transportation, public is the key word
3. Help A london Child
4. An Open Letter
5. Police, Pedestrians, Public transport