I know people say it is hard to be a parent today and that children are exposed to so much more now then when we were young. That is true and yet as a father of four I wonder how much of the stuff children deal with is due to our impatience and investment (for lack of a better word) in ensuring their acceptance into a quality school and bright future. If we allow ourselves as parents to slip into a frenzy of fear and control about what our kids should watch, read, consume we can and we do. I am not talking about being over protective nor am I hating on parents who have the guts to say “no” to their kids.
It would probably help if I give an example: The other day I was at the store getting school lunch supplies and I stood there staring at the fruit snacks having a battle with myself on whether I was being an enabler to poor eating habits by purchasing affordable, high fructose corn syrup fruit snacks or just buying the darn things based on the fact that I ate similar stuff as a kid and I turned out just fine (that of course is up for debate as well).
I have two options. I can either not buy the stuff that all news reports scream at us not to purchase because we will doom our children to a lifetime of nutritional hell or I can take a deep breath, live within my budget and say this week I buy this stuff and next week I will buy something different. Besides they really like them.
In the end I bought the super bad for you fruit snacks, because my inner child screamed “Let them be kids just like you once were a kid!”
Parents hope you can take a deep breath today and know on your best and your worst days your kid loves you because you are their parent. Know that you are not alone.
Rev. Shawn J. Smith 
In my mind it’s not an issue. Why would any parent choose to reinforce a habit of unhealthy food? Water is also inexpensive. And, as you point out, kids love partents more because of relationships than sweet snacks regardless of how Dad’s health is, so far.