I am not a parent, but I have many brothers and sisters and I am trying to help my mother with my carb addict baby brother (6) and sister (9)

My mom is watching her carbs and trying to no buy junk for the kids, but their father has the attidue of 'they are children and can afford to eat ice cream and junk food and buys it for them'

I think that is part of the problem.

In the household I was raised in, food was always a big deal and any type of cookies, candy etc was always hidden away. I think the fact that my mom would hide it from me would make me want it more.

Neither of my parents ever drank soda, so to this day I never touch it. I can probably count the number of times I have drank soda in my life, and I dont like the fizzyness in my mouth. It was something I was raised without and so I never really developed a taste or need to drink it. It was always water or juice (which I could drink gallons of) and 1% or skim milk.

I believe that if you dont make the foods 'forbidden' but simply dont buy them, dont eat them and dont make food a huge deal in your house, make a big deal about dieting or watching your weight etc, I think children will learn more by example and get used to eating healthier foods with their meals.

All 9 of my brothers and sisters cannot eat a meal without salad there. It feels like something is missing from the plate, and I think thats because all our lives my mother made salad every single day (more than once a day sometimes) and we just get used to it being there.