The things some people do for or to their kids

Would you give your four-year-old a cup and a half of coffee? Apparently, some parents think the amount of caffeine in this quantity of coffee will help their four-year-old become a superior athlete, so they give their kids a sports drink called Spark which has the equivalent amount of caffeine.

Is caffeine good for kids? The Academy of Pediatrics discourages caffeine consumption by kids. Drugs containing caffeine are forbidden to be given to kids under 12. The NCAA bans caffeine supplements. The long term effects of caffeine on kids has never been tested. Do you get the idea that there may be something amiss in parents who give their kids Spark?

Some parents apparently are convinced that their kids can become outstanding athletes only by taking caffeine. One mother hopes for a college scholarship for her 12-year-old who practices gymnastics twenty hours a week. The mother wants this to happen so much that she gives her kids the adult dose of Spark, even though it is labeled not for use by children. Another kid is quoted as taking it even when he's "just playing football for fun with my friends".

This is really very far from the neanderthal days when I was a kid and a parent of kids, who, by the way, were decent athletes without taking any stimulants. One was good enough to be named Player of the Year for Ohio when in college.