I guess I knew at age 2

     It was a clear sign to me the day that his grandmother handed him a cup of soda.  After a few sips my child began running around in circles and running through the house like a toy that had been wound up too tightly and whose springs were going to pop if they didn't unwind quickly.  I couldn't believe what I was seeing.  He was a sweet little boy, active yes, but after all, he was a boy.  This, however, was more than just a boy being active.  I hadn't seen him this way before, but we didn't have soda at home, and I wouldn't have given a child that young soda at all.  We didn't have candy available for the children and when people gave it to them I would take it for their special "candy jar" (trash receptical) at home.  His sudden burst of activity sent up a flag in my mind.  It was something to remember and to watch out for.  No two year old sits for long periods of time or has an attention span that is longer than that of a mouse, but this sudden uncontrolled response to high levels of unnatural sweet substances was not something you would see everyday.  I immediately took the cup and poured the soda out.  He didn't even ask for more.  It was as though the sudden burst of energy and activity took him by surprise, too.  Well, that was it for me.  No more soda would touch his lips if I had anything to do with it.  I never mentioned it to anyone else. I just kept a mental note tucked away in my brain.