Teacher criticized my kid's lunch

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I find it highly unethical for a teacher to criticize a parents parenting skills to their child, during the school day. I would have complained to the principal.

Absolutely. It is also poor parenting to criticize a teacher's performance in front of the child.

No it isn't, depending on how you do it and what you're doing it for. If a teacher were wrong about something and my kid asked me about it, I'd say the teacher was wrong. I'd also say everyone makes mistakes and you still can learn a lot from your teacher. But I'd say the teacher is wrong. And if the teacher mistreated my kid, I'd say that the teacher was wrong there too. And I'd back the teacher up when the teacher was right. So far, my kids are very respectful toward teachers and their teachers love them, but I'm not making them blind sheep.
Also, PB&J's got me through to Harvard, and I'm in good physical shape, so trailer food for me! Also, could we stop saying "trailer trash"? I know lots of people who lived in or live in trailers, and they're people, not trash.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Practice this:

None Of Your Business. Say it loud and often when things like this occur.

YOU are the parent. YOU get to determine what your child eats. THEY do not.

Great way to have a good relationship with teacher.

My job as a parent is to protect my kids from 'well-meaning' people, not to suck up to my kid's teacher.

If you don't feed your child garbage then the "well-meaning" people won't have to step in and educate your kid.

No one needed to "step in and educate" the kid about PB&J's. You're hysterical.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You guys think pbj is bad? I was chaperoning a field trip the other day and I watched a Kindergartener eat some rolled up lunch meat and a whole sleeve of chips a'hoy. That was his entire lunch.

I know I shouldn't find this funny, but it cracked me up. If it's his usual lunch, then that's not good. But if it was just a "oh, f-it, we have nothing to pack for lunch" one-off, then I kind of love those parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You guys think pbj is bad? I was chaperoning a field trip the other day and I watched a Kindergartener eat some rolled up lunch meat and a whole sleeve of chips a'hoy. That was his entire lunch.

At least he had some protein. Honestly, it could be worse.

Actually, it couldn't. Processed lunch meat is tied to GI tract cancers. And a whole sleeve of cookies is like 20 cookies (or at least it was when I was a teenager; I'm sure there's been tons of product shrinkage and now it's probably like 6 cookies). So, chemical-laden processed meat and a bunch of cookies. That's terrible and way worse than OP's kid's lunch!

It really depends on the lunch meat. Stop overgeneralizing.

[Anonymous]

I find it hysterical that so many people are up in arms over a teachers alleged judging and their response to it is to... Judge!
Please continue...

[Anonymous]

You guys think pbj is bad? I was chaperoning a field trip the other day and I watched a Kindergartener eat some rolled up lunch meat and a whole sleeve of chips a'hoy. That was his entire lunch.

Maybe that is all they had in the house. Maybe mom was sick and kid packed his own lunch. Maybe it is none of your business.

[Anonymous]

My favorite part is about peanuts being a trashy legume.

[Anonymous]

I love the comment that school lunches are packed by vaginas!

OP here, thanks everyone for the insightful feedback. I had no idea this would cause such a stir.

Some of you will be happy to know my kids went to school this week with bags of cherry tomatoes, bell peppers and baby carrots, grapes and 2% cheddar cheese sticks. No crackers. No yogurt.

But they are still eating PBJ.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:http://greatist.com/health/healthy-bento-box-ideas

Get to it, slackers!

A+ for presentation but these lunches are not all that healthy.

White rice is one of the worst foods you can eat - all carb and no nutrition, ham and turned deli meats are no good due to the high sodium content and nitrites, and multi grain tortilla scoop chips? - don't fool yourself into thinking these are any better than your typical Tostito.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:http://greatist.com/health/healthy-bento-box-ideas

Get to it, slackers!

A+ for presentation but these lunches are not all that healthy.

White rice is one of the worst foods you can eat - all carb and no nutrition, ham and turned deli meats are no good due to the high sodium content and nitrites, and multi grain tortilla scoop chips? - don't fool yourself into thinking these are any better than your typical Tostito.

You're about to make me start quoting Michael Pollan about nutritionism, and I wish you wouldn't, because I really don't like quoting Michael Pollan.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That's an awful lunch! You really didn't know all was processed food and didn't notice there were no fruits or veggies? Still not the teacher's business but wow.

Honestly, not really.

I thought sandwich - check. Dairy - check. "Dessert" (fruit snacks) - check. Milk - check. I will sometimes rotate a clementine or strawberries in or the crackers/pretzels but more times than not I don't. So really, I didn't think this was a bad lunch.

NP here.

PB&J - not all created equal. Big difference between sugary white bread with high-sugar PB and sugary grape jelly vs. PB&J on sprouted whole grain bread with low-sugar PB and a thin layer of low sugar, high fruit content jam.
Dairy - sorry, but "go-gurt" is awful. Loaded with sugar and additives. You might have to go cold turkey and then reintroduce something less sugary at home, and once you know your kid will eat it, send it in lunch. Or send cheese.
Dessert - other than a small occasional treat, why on earth is this needed? Don't kinds get enough junk outside of meals?
Milk - redundant if you are already including "yogurt" and PB. Your body can only process so much protein. Milk is good, but can be very filling and then the kid won't be hungry for vegetables, etc. Skim milk might not be any healthier - there are sugars, but no fats to balance them out and help with vitamin absorption.
Crackers, pretzels = empty carbs. Fine in moderation, but meh.

I won't judge anyone for not using organic b/c that stuff is expensive when it all adds up, and it is already damned expensive just to pay the rent around here.
However, I will judge people who put too much sugar in their kids lunch, whether it is in obvious forms like cookies or less obvious forms via sugary breads, yogurts etc. Excessive sugar intake is way worse than eating conventionally produced foods. Add it up, OP. When your consider the whole lunch, you'll be shocked at how much sugar is in there.
I also don't expect kids to be able to eat a ton of raw veggies in their lunches. They take TIME to chew, and most kids aren't given a lot of time to eat their lunches, and it is also a social time and kids want to talk to each other, not sit there chewing.

I don't think having both parents work is an excuse either. There are many shortcuts. For OP's case, simply making a couple of substitutions will go a long way.

Here are things I put in regularly that DS (7) likes to have in his lunch:

Salads with just lettuce and cucumbers. I include a tiny refillable bottle of soy-citrus dressing. He asks for salad and finishes it every time.
Edamame in or out of the pod. Might be better to shell them ahead of time if DC needs a lot of time to get them out.
Cold meatloaf.
Cold cubes of leftover roast chicken or turkey breast. "Lunchmeats" are expensive and the nitrates are worrisome, so we rarely do those.
Blanched broccoli and dressing.
Cold spaghetti.
Make-your-own sushi rolls.
Sprouted whole wheat bread sandwiches with various fillings. I wish DS liked PB&J, it would make life easier!

I guess I'm grateful that I am not poor enough to qualify for FARMS, but not rich enough to be able to afford Go Gurts or such nonsense. It has forced us to be resourceful and plan ahead. Or course, it helps that my DCs have never had junk in the first place - rather, a steady diet of sprouted bread heels, sardines, scallions, and kimchi. I'm not kidding. Cheap and easy. They are quite hardy, and not picky, and I do not worry about them eating poorly as adults.

I also know a lot of skinny kids who eat a lot of junk. Skinniness in children is not a sign of health or future health.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That's an awful lunch! You really didn't know all was processed food and didn't notice there were no fruits or veggies? Still not the teacher's business but wow.

Honestly, not really.

I thought sandwich - check. Dairy - check. "Dessert" (fruit snacks) - check. Milk - check. I will sometimes rotate a clementine or strawberries in or the crackers/pretzels but more times than not I don't. So really, I didn't think this was a bad lunch.

NP here.

PB&J - not all created equal. Big difference between sugary white bread with high-sugar PB and sugary grape jelly vs. PB&J on sprouted whole grain bread with low-sugar PB and a thin layer of low sugar, high fruit content jam.
Dairy - sorry, but "go-gurt" is awful. Loaded with sugar and additives. You might have to go cold turkey and then reintroduce something less sugary at home, and once you know your kid will eat it, send it in lunch. Or send cheese.
Dessert - other than a small occasional treat, why on earth is this needed? Don't kinds get enough junk outside of meals?
Milk - redundant if you are already including "yogurt" and PB. Your body can only process so much protein. Milk is good, but can be very filling and then the kid won't be hungry for vegetables, etc. Skim milk might not be any healthier - there are sugars, but no fats to balance them out and help with vitamin absorption.
Crackers, pretzels = empty carbs. Fine in moderation, but meh.

I won't judge anyone for not using organic b/c that stuff is expensive when it all adds up, and it is already damned expensive just to pay the rent around here.
However, I will judge people who put too much sugar in their kids lunch, whether it is in obvious forms like cookies or less obvious forms via sugary breads, yogurts etc. Excessive sugar intake is way worse than eating conventionally produced foods. Add it up, OP. When your consider the whole lunch, you'll be shocked at how much sugar is in there.
I also don't expect kids to be able to eat a ton of raw veggies in their lunches. They take TIME to chew, and most kids aren't given a lot of time to eat their lunches, and it is also a social time and kids want to talk to each other, not sit there chewing.

I don't think having both parents work is an excuse either. There are many shortcuts. For OP's case, simply making a couple of substitutions will go a long way.

Here are things I put in regularly that DS (7) likes to have in his lunch:

Salads with just lettuce and cucumbers. I include a tiny refillable bottle of soy-citrus dressing. He asks for salad and finishes it every time.
Edamame in or out of the pod. Might be better to shell them ahead of time if DC needs a lot of time to get them out.
Cold meatloaf.
Cold cubes of leftover roast chicken or turkey breast. "Lunchmeats" are expensive and the nitrates are worrisome, so we rarely do those.
Blanched broccoli and dressing.
Cold spaghetti.
Make-your-own sushi rolls.
Sprouted whole wheat bread sandwiches with various fillings. I wish DS liked PB&J, it would make life easier!

I guess I'm grateful that I am not poor enough to qualify for FARMS, but not rich enough to be able to afford Go Gurts or such nonsense. It has forced us to be resourceful and plan ahead. Or course, it helps that my DCs have never had junk in the first place - rather, a steady diet of sprouted bread heels, sardines, scallions, and kimchi. I'm not kidding. Cheap and easy. They are quite hardy, and not picky, and I do not worry about them eating poorly as adults.

I also know a lot of skinny kids who eat a lot of junk. Skinniness in children is not a sign of health or future health.

Thank goodness for your post.
+100 to all of it. Except for the lettuce and dressing, because I have a preschooler.

http://www.amazon.com/Yumbox-Leakproof-Container-Design-Myrtille/dp/B00KVQ0G7A
This lunchbox keeps me from "forgetting" an element of my preschooler's lunch, and from overdoing it in any category.
- DC gets fresh fruit and veggies every single day, and yes, some of the veggies go uneaten. But then one day they don't, and that's the point. It's the parent's responsibility to offer well-prepared fresh veggies at every meal, and not make a huge deal if the kid won't eat it.
- DC gets yogurt or cheese everyday. The yogurt is always full fat unsweetened, to which we add the sweetener (homemade sauce, honey or maple syrup). The cheese is admittedly of the crappy processed variety, mozzarella stick, or the mini mozza balls from costco, or babybel, or sliced in a sandwich cut small to fit stacked in 2 of the lunchbox compartments).
- Crackers every once in a while, but often the "grains" compartment is filled with leftovers from the pasta or rice dish we had the night before. She gets PBJ or another sandwich once or twice a week, whole grain bread.
- Protein is often super processed vegetarian chick'n nuggets or Dr. Praeger's fishies. Occasionally nitrates-free cold cut meat (Prosciutto can be found nitrates-free, or Trader Joe's nitrates free "rosemary ham").
- "dessert" isn't a food group, or a required feature of the meal, and it's a "sometimes food" for special occasions, or to reward great behavior, so it doesn't belong in my kid's lunchbox.

It's true that providing a variety of fresh fruit and veggies every day requires hitting the store a couple of times a week, or planning well on the Sunday night trip, just like our family needs fresh fruit and veggies throughout the week for dinners. Yours does too, right?

[Anonymous]

Jesus Christ, it's not like she sent the kid to school with a slim jim, doritos and a soda. The lunch was perfectly fine.

[Anonymous]

curious after reading a lot of posts, do schools have somewhere kids can heat up lunch nowadays? When I was a kid we had to each whatever we had at the temperature it came out of our bag with, so it was a lot of turkey sandwiches on soggy bread (reason behind my current aversion to cold lunchmeat sandwiches, I pack them in pieces and assemble at work if I take them), a bag of chips and a capri sun. But i see people posting about soups and soba noodles and stew, so I was curious about the heating up at school thing. a family I know sends their kid to school with easy mac packets, but they don't have the best track record on dietary things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Jesus Christ, it's not like she sent the kid to school with a slim jim, doritos and a soda. The lunch was perfectly fine.

No, actually, what she sent in is much closer to slim jim, doritos and a soda than it is to a nutritious lunch.

That welch's thing is candy. Ohh, yay candy with vitamin C and fruit juice. Candy still.
http://www.consumethisfirst.com/2010/11/11/worst-food-of-the-week-fruit-snacks/

http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/fruit-suit-general-mills-faces-deceptive-advertising-lawsuit-fruit-snacks-?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+Brandweek-All-News+%28Brandweek+News+-+All%29

Gogurt isn't yogurt. It's junk. Yogurt doesn't need cornstarch, carrageenan, and gelatin for consistency, and it doesn't need all the crap in gogurt for flavor.

And crackers, well they are kind of junk too, don't you think?