Letter: Sweet refusal that teaches a lesson

Sir: Annabel Ferriman's broadside against sweet racks at supermarket check-outs ('Temptation for little hands', 19 January) strikes me as expecting someone else (in this case, the store) to shoulder parental responsibility.

Surely part of educating one's children is teaching them that they cannot always have what they want, and that 'no' means 'no'. The worst method is to start by saying 'no' and then giving in - both undermining one's own authority and paving the way for future tantrums. As for looks from the queue - these are not necessarily hostile and, in any case, shouldn't one have the courage of one's convictions?

Yours faithfully,

AMANDA REGGIO

London, SW7

19 January