We care about the health of our children. So why do we provide them with so many opportunities to indulge in sugary foods?
Perhaps it is because we have long had a culture in which sweet treats are seen as an innocent indulgence that children quickly "burn off" with their active lifestyles. In previous decades we demonized saturated fat and fat in general as a poison that was harmful to health. Recent evidence has supported the notion that sugar is actually worse for health at any age. If we invited our children to "baconfest" where they consumed as much bacon as possible, or had them eat spoonfuls of lard, we would feel as if it would be better if this did not have to occur. However, at many children's events I have attended, there is almost always some form of sugar for children to consume, typically at levels that are considered unhealthy.
There is an amount of sugar that is moderate and probably not very harmful, say perhaps a very small cookie with 3 grams of sugar, as an occasional reat. What we provide these days for children is a pile of large cookies on a plate, (help yourself!) and to wash it down, a 12 ounce soda or juice(more sugar). We seem to have a difficult time imagining children's activities that do not include a large dose of sugar. Really, food in general need not be a part of every children's event either, even if it's healthy (carrots).
Sugar has acute behavioral effects but these are seen as temporary and harmless. If something like this happens frequently, one must consider chronic effects. Many Americans grew up in a sugar culture, and it is difficult to deny the nostalgia and joy associated with candy and baked treats. We soften with warmth to think of Grandma teaching us how to make Rice Krispie treats in the kitchen, or baking Christmas cookies. Maybe if we only consumed cookies at Christmas they would not be such a problem, but really the opportunity for treats and sweets seems to be around every corner these days. 
