IT started innocently enough - a bar of chocolate here, a packet of crisps there. Next thing you know, the kids are eating fast food for the third night in a row and start snarling if you say 'no' to one more sugary snack.
It's time to take control.
Surely, I don't need to trot out the usual statistics on childhood obesity or harp on about the future dangers of diabetes and heart disease.
Unless you've been living on some media-free island for the last couple of years you already know the importance of healthy eating.
"The question is have you ever tried getting a child to eat an apple instead of sweets?" asks my friend Beth. "Most junk food comes with celebrity endorsements, free toys and all the gloss and glitter of the marketing fairy.
"Presenting them with something natural is a losing battle."
But there are ways by which David (for that read parents) can slay Goliath (multi-billion pound food corporations) - and it starts with consumer power.
"If you don't want your child to have junk food, just don't buy it. Saying no is easier when it's not in the house," says Julie Curren from Liverpool's Taste For Health.
"By planning menus in advance, including snacks and drinks, you can avoid pester power inspired purchases as well as the temptation to send them to the 'chippie' when you're too tired to cook."
Also, it gives you the chance to make healthy swaps - like changing chicken nuggets for roast chicken or sugar coated cereal for a low cal, high fibre alternative.
"As far as your kids' diets are concerned - the buck stops with you," concludes Julie.
