Teacher dictating which parts of daughter's lunch she can eat in which order?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd tell my child that the teacher sets the rules in the classroom and her job is to learn to follow the classroom rules, even if we do things differently at home.

Amen

[Anonymous]

Cookies shouldn’t be put in lunch. Shape them like granola bars.

[Anonymous]

No, not the teacher’s rules. If the parent packed it, then the child can have it.

[Anonymous]

Preschool teacher here. So many times the parents pack a sandwich, fruit, and 6 Oreo cookies. The kids spend 20 minutes eating their Oreo cookies and a few strawberries and ignore the sandwich and then 30 minutes later complain that they are hungry. So yeah, I would encourage kids to eat the "growing" food first, but I never require it. Don't get me started on how long it takes to eat pirates Booty!

If I were you I would absolutely tell the teacher that the cookies are mashed banana and oats and tell them to leave your kid alone and she'll eat her lunch, or you can just save the "cookies" for an after school snack and pack everything that looks healthy in her lunch.

[Anonymous]

I will let it go. My kid teacher divide up & save some of her lunches as her am or pm snacks because she offen eats a few bites at lunch only. My kid has to learn to adjust to new teacher and environment, either eat faster or tell me if I pack too little/too much.

[Anonymous]

I consider meal order part of what a child learns at preschool along with hand washing and tying shoes. If you go to a restaurant with friends or work colleagues, you’ll start with appetizers then main then dessert. Same if you attend a dinner party at a friend’s. It doesn’t mean you can’t change things up at home of course. It doesn’t mean cookies are bad.

[Anonymous]

Our school does this. But they discourage “treats” pretty heavily as well. If you say something to the teacher, they’ll probably lay off, but then you’ll be “that parent” to them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a big eater too, we had to explain to her teacher in each successive classroom— yes, offer her everything we’ve sent at every meal. And each successive class gave me one day of pushback, then laughed with me for the rest of the session about how much my kid packs away. They leave a note when they have a sub that, really, this kid is going to eat all of that.

For people with children with smaller appetites— you know how your kid gets hangry and more prone to meltdowns? This is what will happen to OPs kid if she’s policed and upset and doesn’t get to eat her whole lunch. It’s in everyone’s interest to avoid that.

But the teacher didn't tell her she couldn't eat her whole lunch. She just asked her to eat it in a different order.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd tell my child that the teacher sets the rules in the classroom and her job is to learn to follow the classroom rules, even if we do things differently at home.

Amen

This is what I would tell my kid too and do not say anything to the teacher OP. This is really the first impression you want to make with the teacher? Bad idea.

And don't pack cookies. No one cares if they're banana/oat/whatever.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd tell my child that the teacher sets the rules in the classroom and her job is to learn to follow the classroom rules, even if we do things differently at home.

Amen

This. Exactly this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No, not the teacher’s rules. If the parent packed it, then the child can have it.

Uh no. This is actually not how it works at all. You might have food allergies in the class in which case, don't pack the food.

[Anonymous]

No vegetables? That's a lot of sugar in a lunch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No, not the teacher’s rules. If the parent packed it, then the child can have it.

Teacher didn't say child can't have it.

This is such a nonissue. OP, just tell your kid the order she is expected to eat things at school. She can still eat it all. She may have been upset the first day because she didn't understand the rules, because it felt like a curveball she wasn't expecting, maybe she was tired because it's the first day, whatever. Do you really think it's going to be a problem one week from now?

[Anonymous]

I agree with you OP, but I just wouldn't put the cookies in the lunch box. It is not worth the mental effort. Save them for a special treat for your DD as you drive home.

[Anonymous]

And people wonder why we are having a teacher shortage.