The locality within my wold that I live in is indeed fine, but that does not mean that world events do not affect me or my children's future. And while my country is free, it has its flaws. Ever since my daughter was born I have become more and more aware of not just political concerns, but all kinds of concerns. My daughters school monitors and polices her lunch box for "foods not approved as healthy". My school district wastes money like they need to burn it for fuel. Red dye in drinks does indeed negatively affect Maya's behavior. Are all of the innoculations that she is required to get both safe and healthy? Excessive deforestation in my area to build shopping centers is something I fear will leave my children with a less beautiful place than I had growing up. What of single parents and the behavioral effects on their children who interact and help socialize mine? What of the economy, and its inability to provide jobs to so many, yet I've luckily kept mine so far? They are different challenges, and I wouldn't put them on scale with "Will my child be mauled by a dingo/dictator/rape-squad/ethnic cleansing squad/stray bullets". But they are real concerns, and to ignore them is tantamount to child abuse. Nothing is perfect, but everything can be made better.The world WE live in really isn't that bad. We live in such "rich" and "fair" countries, in comparison to the poverty-stricken, in which every day is a struggle to make it to the next day of struggling and unhappiness =/ Frankly, lack of war and excessive comfort in and around our own countries has led to complacency, greed, selfishness and less community.
Red 40, E129. Takes about 15 minutes after ingestion on average, but she will literally go bezerk. She has been fed snacks made of pure sugar and never freaked afterwards, but if it has Red 40 she will go off every time. Gatorade is the normal culprit. She's given a very small amount and allowed to run hogwild to burn it off. But its been observed by more people than just my wife and I.It's a bit off topic, but what red dye? E-number? I went to a lecture on additives early on this semester, and honestly, I'm skeptical to claims that additives are all that bad after hearing about them from a man with expertise and experience. A lot of people think sugar makes their kids hyperactive, too, and I think it's silly to blame things when they aren't responsible. Not to say that your red dye isn't; I'm just curious which one causes this, so I can check it out, and if it's true, keep away from it. And on the topic of "food policing", honestly, that's not half bad.
At least they're not telling your child what to think. When I grew up, Norway was a less secular place, and I was forced to attend church, as well as say prayers and sing Christian songs in kindergarden and up to high school. I would say that's a far worse thing than being told you can't bring candy to school - there's some common sense to that, at least, and your child isn't being told what to think.