You and I can talk all day about differences between this country and that, and we can detail any number of parenting strategies and discuss how they differ from one culture to the next, but there are more similarities than differences, and one of the biggest common denominators is this: Kids want sweets.
We can argue the pleasures and dangers of sugar until our teeth fall out, but whether or not most children want the sweet stuff is rarely in question. How much is permissible, however, is always grounds for debate.
In what form you let the kids at them, though can depend on you. Sodas and lollipops may delight young taste buds, but despite their bright colors and decorative packaging, they do little to trigger one's aesthetic pleasure centers. More often than not, they look exactly like what they are: sugar delivery systems.