Instructions: Each year around the holidays, with baking at its peak, I invariably think that sitting next to Norma Shapiro at lunch was possibly the smartest thing I did in high school.

Best of all, she taught me goodie generosity. She shared the pleasures of her warm, homemade cookies. I provided the cold milk.

Normas mother made batches of delectable chocolate-chip cookies on a regular basis. She froze them, then packed them in her daughters lunches, two per day.

By the time lunchtime rolled around, those frozen cookies were fresh-out-of-the-oven warm, having spent the morning in a metal locker on the grounds of our sun-scorched school.

The soft, oozy chocolate chips glistened. The scent of good vanilla filled the air.

Every day was cookie day at Normas house. At my house, Mom had declared war on refined sugar. Protein was king and cookies were kaput. My mother made cookies for holiday celebrations, not weekday frivolities.

So whose mother was right?

How good are milk and cookies for kids, as either an after-school snack or lunchtime treat? Does cookie consumption contribute to cravings for sweets? And what about milk? Is it really the best thing for kids to drink?

As far as milk is concerned, there wasnt much of a debate about it back in the 1960s, and most folks still agree that milk is a great calcium source for kids. Most experts say that one of the biggest concerns in the American diet today has become getting enough calcium, especially because many kids drink soft drinks instead of milk. and that the most important time to get plenty of calcium is from ages 9 to 19, especially for girls. Thats when the body stores up the most calcium.

"Milk consumption is a huge health issue for girls," says Elizabeth Ward, spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association.

"They start banking calcium in their pre-adolescence, at 8 or 9, when they are laying down almost all of their bone mass and going through growth spurts. The newest recommendations are for 500 milligrams of calcium per day - about two (8-ounce) glasses of milk."

Keith Ayoob, professor of Pediatrics at Albert Einstein University, says,

"Moderation, variety and balance are key."

He suggested adding nutritional ingredients to homemade cookies: dried fruit and nuts, as well as whole-wheat flour or oatmeal.

Cookies paired with milk is a great way to get kids to drink milk, he says, but milk should also be teamed with other snack foods as well, such as peanut butter on crackers or fresh fruit.

But not everyone agrees that milk is the perfect drink for kids. Some prefer soy drinks, or beverages made from ground nuts.

Shelly Null, author of "Healthy Cooking for Kids - Building Blocks for a Lifetime of Good Nutrition" (St. Martins Griffin, $14.95), is a nutritional educator. She subscribes to a vegan diet, consuming no animal products, dairy foods or eggs.

"As a vegan, you have to work at it to make sure you get all the nutrients you and your family need. You can incorporate soy, rice or almond milk in your childs diet."

In many respects, nutritional issues seem even more complicated than they did in 1964, when we didnt know soy milk from seaweed. Norma and I turned out fine.

Strong bones. Good teeth. (See cookie recipes within this file.)

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