One of the joys of being a grandfather is taking my two grandsons out to lunch on Saturdays. The enjoyment comes not only in asking and answering questions and not only in trying to pass on such wisdom as I may have acquired, but simply the joy of being with them. A shadow during these Saturday lunches is the cans of sugar-loaded soft drinks that my grandsons order. I am increasingly aware that the large amount of sugar in these deceptively labeled soft drinks is just not good for them. These dietary bombs contain empty calories, rotten teeth and the gateway to diabetes. But how to fight against the marketing of the soft drink manufacturers who count on the human liking for anything sweet to sell their products? How to teach innocents about the enticement of the marketplace and commercial advertising that promise a lot but deliver very little, and that little is often harmful?
To teach my grandsons, ages 9 and 14, about the danger of rampant commercialism, I tried a lesson by sugar cubes. Before picking them up for lunch, I bought a box of sugar cubes at a supermarket. At a restaurant and as my grandsons were about to place their usual order for soda, I took out twelve sugar cubes and placed six cubes before each grandson. I told them that before they could order their usual sugar-loaded drinks, they would have to eat the six cubes of sugar, six cubes being the rough equivalent of the sugar they would drink in a can of soda. Being the benevolent grandfather that I am, I gave them the option of dissolving the sugar cubes in plain water and then drinking it. After looking at me strangely, both grandsons declined to eat or drink the sugar cubes and did not order their usual sodas.
Thinking to myself after dropping the boys back home, I wondered whether I may have won a battle but lost the war against sugary drinks. When my grandsons next have an opportunity to order soda, will they remember my sugar cube lesson? But, then, the role of being a parent or grandparent is a long series of attempts over many years to try to influence our children and grandchildren into healthy, responsible lifestyles. Am I right that most readers have experienced this as they try to raise the future generations of their offspring?