Children’s eating habits and birthdays in schools

Re “Sorry, Cupcake, You’re No Longer Welcome in Class,” Sept. 27

Cutting out cupcakes and other treats from a classroom birthday celebration seems a bit extreme considering a birthday is the one day that you should treat yourself to things that you don’t normally eat.

Children’s eating habits are not the only thing that is contributing to the rise of obesity. The lack of physical activity at school and at home is also a major factor. There needs to be a balance of a healthy diet and an active lifestyle. Completely depriving a child of something only makes he or she want it more. Limitations, not restrictions, make for a healthy child.

ALISA POST

Los Angeles

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It is refreshing to see a new way to recognize birthdays in our schools. As a parent of a son living with a potentially fatal food allergy, I can tell you that many children will be positively affected by this move toward eliminating unnecessary food from the classroom.

Let birthdays take the fall. Children with food allergies wade through a gantlet of dangerous foods every single day. School should be one of the relatively safe places these children can experience.

MARGARET KIRSCH

Los Angeles

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Sugared soft drinks are a major source of childhood obesity. Schools should educate children about the number of calories these drinks contain. People most often think of solid food as a cause of obesity, but the calories in drinks have the same effect. PAUL FRETHEIM

Independence, Calif.