Coercion vs. Education

I don't agree with Turtle that coercion is necessary to get kids to (for example) eat the right foods. I think kids are fully capable of educating themselves regarding good nutrition, understanding the consequences of a poor diet during childhood, and ammending what they eat accordingly. Look at it this way: ever since I was a young, I vowed NEVER to smoke because I knew how bad it was health-wise. Yet was I able to coerce my parents into not smoking? NO! They smoked constantly, and still do. Yet I made the decision, when I was very underage, never to do the same myself.

So, the bottom line is this...I DO NOT think children NEED oppressive rules to make them do things like eat the right foods or avoid bad health habits like smoking. Education can accomplish what coercion is ill-suited to do.