Your snowflake doesn't need a snack.

[Anonymous]

My 8yo in FCPS starts school at 9:00, eats lunch at 10:20, and gets out of school at 4:10. His bus drops him at at 4:45 (when it's on time, which is not always the case). I'm glad his teacher allows an afternoon snack.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My best takeaway from "Bringing up Bebe" (an account of an American raising children in Paris) is that the only snack children have there is their "gouter." Served at about four, it's the only non-meal food French children expect. I am raising my daughter similarly and she's a healthy weight, growing well, and happy.

Are you sending your child to public school in America or planning to?

If so, teaching her to eat slowly at meals, savor her food, and avoid snacking may not be in her favor.

[Anonymous]

ThatBetch wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am with Larla's mom on this one, OP, and think you are probably a bit of a twat. I mean, look at the use of the word "snowflake" in your subject line. Who talks about children that way?

Are you in North Arlington, by any chance? Sounds like it.

Assume I did that intentionally, with a goal of ruffling feathers. Specifically yours.

And no, I'm not.

See, that's a character defect. You're damaged.

[Anonymous]

I don't understand. So at our FCPS elem school, since 1st grade, children are allowed to bring a snack and eat it whenever they are at their tables. There is no organized snack time, so they beat when/if they are hungry and when time is available.

Doesn't seem too hard to me.

[Anonymous]

ThatBetch wrote:Listserv drama going around right now from the usual suspects, and I thought DCUM might have some feedback.

Larla's Mom is complaining (again). She claims that lunchtime is too early, and Dear Larla (DL) can't make it until the end of school w/o a snack. Larla's mom wants the teachers to stop instruction, and offer "a 5 minute snack break" an hour or so before school is out.

Assume DL doesn't have an actual medical need for additional calories (because she'd have a medical note on file already, and this wouldn't be everyone else's problem).

While the school lunch schedule does seem to have kids eating much earlier than they might in my home, they are offered a chance to eat during the day. They may have to learn to focus while slightly uncomfortable for a hour, but "I don't believe that having hungry children with a sugar low is conducive to a good learning environment" seems overwrought. Second, in what reality can an entire class of kids start and finish eating in 5 minutes? And who cleans up the inevitable mess? Third, what about kids who get school lunch and may not have a snack from home? Another Larla's Mom actually wrote "...teachers may need some support in providing for all (and in a way that takes food allergies into consideration)."

Am I just being betchy again, or is this some nonsense?

It doesn't surprise me that the parents who carry water bottles and Starbucks coffee with them everywhere are demanding constant access to the feeding trough for their children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My best takeaway from "Bringing up Bebe" (an account of an American raising children in Paris) is that the only snack children have there is their "gouter." Served at about four, it's the only non-meal food French children expect. I am raising my daughter similarly and she's a healthy weight, growing well, and happy.

Are you sending your child to public school in America or planning to?

If so, teaching her to eat slowly at meals, savor her food, and avoid snacking may not be in her favor.

Yes, well, my son eats a snack a few times a day and has the most varied, healthiest diet of any kid I know. He is also at an incredibly healthy weight.

I, on the other hand, never snack because it is not my thing, but I didn't push my way son my kid because he has different needs.

Choosing to follow some random book instead of looking at the actual child and her needs is beyond stupid.

But hey, you sound so continental!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My best takeaway from "Bringing up Bebe" (an account of an American raising children in Paris) is that the only snack children have there is their "gouter." Served at about four, it's the only non-meal food French children expect. I am raising my daughter similarly and she's a healthy weight, growing well, and happy.

Are you sending your child to public school in America or planning to?

If so, teaching her to eat slowly at meals, savor her food, and avoid snacking may not be in her favor.

Yes, well, my son eats a snack a few times a day and has the most varied, healthiest diet of any kid I know. He is also at an incredibly healthy weight.

I, on the other hand, never snack because it is not my thing, but I didn't push my way son my kid because he has different needs.

Choosing to follow some random book instead of looking at the actual child and her needs is beyond stupid.

But hey, you sound so continental!

You sound like Donald Trump's doctor.

[ThatBetch]

Anonymous wrote:

ThatBetch wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am with Larla's mom on this one, OP, and think you are probably a bit of a twat. I mean, look at the use of the word "snowflake" in your subject line. Who talks about children that way?

Are you in North Arlington, by any chance? Sounds like it.

Assume I did that intentionally, with a goal of ruffling feathers. Specifically yours.

And no, I'm not.

See, that's a character defect. You're damaged.

Thank you, Dr. DCUM.

I see the snark was lost on you. You, like the PP I was responding to, must be new here.

[Anonymous]

ThatBetch wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

ThatBetch wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am with Larla's mom on this one, OP, and think you are probably a bit of a twat. I mean, look at the use of the word "snowflake" in your subject line. Who talks about children that way?

Are you in North Arlington, by any chance? Sounds like it.

Assume I did that intentionally, with a goal of ruffling feathers. Specifically yours.

And no, I'm not.

See, that's a character defect. You're damaged.

Thank you, Dr. DCUM.

I see the snark was lost on you. You, like the PP I was responding to, must be new here.

Oh, honey. Bless your heart. I'm embarrassed to admit to being addicted since 2011.

[Anonymous]

As a non-American living here, I never understand why you all spend so much time worrying and fighting about food.

And the original poster seems obsessed about another parents feelings on snacking? So much so that she even posted on another website to talk about it?

From birth, you all argue with each other about how to feed your children. Just...eat and shut up about it.

[Anonymous]

My kid's school has a snack. Morning if lunch is late, afternoon if lunch is early. If lunch is in the middle there is no snack.

I don't see what's wrong with a snack. Kids who are hungry can't concentrate as well and are more likely to act out.

As well, kids who are excessively hungry when they get to their next meal are more likely to overeat.

1 snack is not the same as eating all day.

[Anonymous]

Gonna weigh in on this. When I was in grade school, I was dropped off at something like 7:30 which meant eating breakfast around 7am, and my lunch was not until 12:30. I remember my stomach grumbling through tests and feeling uncomfortable, both starving and because I felt embarrassed. I ate a normal sized breakfast and later even started stuffing myself at breakfast to try to make it through the morning as snacks were not allowed. This was around 3rd grade.

Fast forward to an exchange program in high school when I was 16. The school I attended in Germany had primary and middle attached to it, and we moved throughout the entire building for various classes. Since we (the exchange students) were very elementary in our language skills, we spent a portion of the day with elementary school students for grammar lessons. I recall being blown away that students were allowed to pull out snacks at any time they damn well pleased. They ate during class and cleaned up after themselves. No biggie. No one batted an eye.

Why on earth should this be such a problem in the U.S.? Allow kids to eat when they are hungry and develop healthy eating habits. End of story.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Gonna weigh in on this. When I was in grade school, I was dropped off at something like 7:30 which meant eating breakfast around 7am, and my lunch was not until 12:30. I remember my stomach grumbling through tests and feeling uncomfortable, both starving and because I felt embarrassed. I ate a normal sized breakfast and later even started stuffing myself at breakfast to try to make it through the morning as snacks were not allowed. This was around 3rd grade.

Fast forward to an exchange program in high school when I was 16. The school I attended in Germany had primary and middle attached to it, and we moved throughout the entire building for various classes. Since we (the exchange students) were very elementary in our language skills, we spent a portion of the day with elementary school students for grammar lessons. I recall being blown away that students were allowed to pull out snacks at any time they damn well pleased. They ate during class and cleaned up after themselves. No biggie. No one batted an eye.

Why on earth should this be such a problem in the U.S.? Allow kids to eat when they are hungry and develop healthy eating habits. End of story.

Same thing happened to me, but in high school. I actually nearly failed a class because it was the period before lunch, and I was so hungry I used to feel dizzy and nauseous. Plus, I was super embarrassed about how loudly my stomach would growl toward the end of class. I used to get on the school bus at 7, and get to school almost an hour later, then lunch was around noon. Over five hours without food was too much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Fast forward to an exchange program in high school when I was 16. The school I attended in Germany had primary and middle attached to it, and we moved throughout the entire building for various classes. Since we (the exchange students) were very elementary in our language skills, we spent a portion of the day with elementary school students for grammar lessons. I recall being blown away that students were allowed to pull out snacks at any time they damn well pleased. They ate during class and cleaned up after themselves. No biggie. No one batted an eye.

My German high school started around 8 am and ran till 1 PM. We were dismissed for about 20 minutes at 10:40 for Pausebrot as I recall (recess bread!) We ran to the shop across the street and bought rolls or pastries if we had the money. Or ate buttered cheese with bread.

At 1 PM we all walked home or were picked up by our parents and ate the big midday meal. Then usually back to school 3 to 5 for "specials".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My best takeaway from "Bringing up Bebe" (an account of an American raising children in Paris) is that the only snack children have there is their "gouter." Served at about four, it's the only non-meal food French children expect. I am raising my daughter similarly and she's a healthy weight, growing well, and happy.

I'm guessing that child isn't in school yet. It's great that you can maintain that when you have total control over her eating schedule/environment, but you might find it doesn't work so well she she's eating breakfast at 7:30, lunch at 11 am (and gets 20 minutes to do so and there are a million distractions around so she only finishes about half her lunch), school runs until 3:40 but you're at the end of the bus route so she's not getting home until 4:30. Oh, and since she's then eating the snack at nearly 5 pm, good luck getting a decent dinner into her and hour or two later before you get her to bed by 8 pm so she's not a zombie for her 7 am wake-up.