It irks me that both schools my kids attend are bossy about what to pack for lunch

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wait, I'm confused? I'm not supposed to include a small, bite-sized "treat" for my kid in his lunch when the rest is super healthy (turkey - no condiments - on whole wheat with strawberries and string cheese). I usually include a little cookie or brownie with it - like the size of a quarter.

How is this bad?

We do the same and get general notes to everyone about not including junk food. Personally, If they complain they should complain about lunchmeat just as much as they complain about chips, cookies, fruit snacks. These same schools probably have soda machines, juice offerings, chicken nuggets, dare I say pizza (not exactly healthy).

My kid is underweight for his age, there are very few things that he will eat so sandwiches, lunchables - sometimes, PBJ - thank goodness, we let him eat it all and top it off we a cookie, fruit snacks, granola bar, graham crackers.

Are graham crackers okay? They say cracker but it is really a cookie.

[Anonymous]

Just because the definition of junk food might be a bit fuzzy doesn't mean that schools shouldn't try to promote healthy eating. Come on ... give it a break already ... !

[Anonymous]

Maybe you should consider asking for a special exception for your child if s/he is medically underweight.

And the graham cracker is definitely junk unless you spread it with marshmallow cream and call it a sandwich.

[Anonymous]

9:14 here again. My post was not about laughing or making fun of fat girls. It was about the irony of the parents and dynamics. Like it or not when some of the heaviest girls have the thinnest most food obsessed moms one has to wonder.

My children all had/have access to schools with lunch available for purchase or part of tuition. Over the years I have heard mom's complaining about the desserts and other items. Main complainers were a few who had heavy DD's and seemed to blame the school. If the child was eating multiple desserts and does that mean moderate consumers should not have any available?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: Parents like you are so obnoxious.

If kids bring a lunchable in my school, we do make them put the candy or cookie up in their backpack and take it home. We are a no junkfood school.

I have no opinion on the junkfood rule -- never encountered it at DC's schools. but I do have an opinion about you. I really hope you never teach my children. And I wonder if you are recognizable to your supervisors. You could have used your expertise to explain why you think this is a good rule but instead you opened with an insult. I wonder if you are even a real teacher.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: Parents like you are so obnoxious.

If kids bring a lunchable in my school, we do make them put the candy or cookie up in their backpack and take it home. We are a no junkfood school.

I have no opinion on the junkfood rule -- never encountered it at DC's schools. but I do have an opinion about you. I really hope you never teach my children. And I wonder if you are recognizable to your supervisors. You could have used your expertise to explain why you think this is a good rule but instead you opened with an insult. I wonder if you are even a real teacher.

Intentional or not, this is a DCUM classic -- poor crop quoting and/or taking things out of context. This is not Enquirer or Fox News.

[Anonymous]

That is the entire quote. No one cropped anything. It is on the first page of this thread. The supposed teacher also called op a Cow.
I am just really hoping she is not a real teacher.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've seen what some kids bring to school so I support those messages. Believe it or not, some people don't know much about healthy eating.

+1000...when my daughter was in elementary school she wasn't allowed to bring in lunchables, anything red to drink and a host of other junk that kids normally eat. It worked well, did put a lil stress on us though to make sure she had the recommended food. Looking back I'm glad we did...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sigh. School is about rules that work for the majority of people. So maybe your kid is thin and your kid doesn't get high off sugar and preservatives, but other kids do. So they prohibit for everyone. Duh. Maybe your kid doesn't act out super hero characters because of a cartoon lunchbox but others kids do, so no cartoon lunch boxes. Just go along with it, it won't kill your kid not to have candy for lunch. If you get this upset this early in the year because of this small thing, you are in for a long hard year.

ITA 100%!!!! Although I think a lot of this stems from the "you cannot tell me how to raise my child" mentality.

We had a school wide parent meeting witht the adminstrators last year. One of the counselors said something that stuck with me. Parents (mostly new parents) were complaining about a longstanding prohibition on backpacks with wheels. The counselor said "This is a private school and you are choosing to have your kids attend. This school is a community and when you chose to come here, you agree to the customs, values and rules of the school community - like them or not. We have a waiting list a mile long so you have to decide what is best for your child."

It was harsh and borderline obnoxious...but it did hit home on a few points. First, this is a choice. Nobody is forcing you to send your kids to THIS school. Second, many people are willing to pay for the rules and structure and lot of us are willing to live with some stupid rules to have our kids in that environment. Third, is this really an issue you want to fight about?

Well, when you are making the choice what you're told is that the school has a progressive approach to education, a commitment to diversity, small class sizes, experienced teachers, etc. The no-wheeled-backpacks, no ziploc bags, no junk food, can't walk your kids onto campus or park legally in the neighborhood type rules get rolled out later -- after you've signed the contract. They aren't part of the deal, so to speak. And these so-called communal norms aren't communally generated -- they're imposed top down. Basically, it's a my way or the highway response premised on scarcity and the power it conveys. And, usually, it's all talk and no enforcement. Not a pretty picture.

This is true. We did not get our student handbook until DC was enrolled in the school.

Fair points! But I guess the schools figure that folks would not make decisions based on these rules....if they say that are in the best interest of the students. I am not sure that any of us would turn down an otherwise worthy school because DC could not bring certain snacks. Thus, our only recourse is to gripe about them.

[Anonymous]

I am guessing that most of the parents who do not like this rule have young ES age kids. I could be wrong.

By the time the kids get to MS and HS (I have one in each), you get kind of numb about these rules. Some are stupid and some are beneficial, but you just get used to them. You realize that as long as your DC is getting the education and school experience that you are paying for and that you expect - some of the other issues do not matter as much.

My DS had a no junk food rule in ES. Honestly, it paid off because he is the healthiest eater that I know in HS. So it was a hassle at the time, but I guess it worked out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:9:14 here again. My post was not about laughing or making fun of fat girls. It was about the irony of the parents and dynamics. Like it or not when some of the heaviest girls have the thinnest most food obsessed moms one has to wonder.

My children all had/have access to schools with lunch available for purchase or part of tuition. Over the years I have heard mom's complaining about the desserts and other items. Main complainers were a few who had heavy DD's and seemed to blame the school. If the child was eating multiple desserts and does that mean moderate consumers should not have any available?

I think it's a mistake to attribute these girls' weight issues to their mother's food obsessions. I was a chubby kid. My mom was naturally skinny and she never put any pressure on me to be thin. She liked me the way I was. I had a slow metabolism- I never ate more than other kids but I put on weight easily. When I grew up I learned how to eat so that I would stay on the thin side but the metabolism is still there. I have a kid who was naturally chubby too. I have never given her a lot of sweets or junk food. People might think that she was chubby because of me and this is only true in that she inherited my metabolism. Fortunately for her, she also learned healthy eating from me and now that she is a teen she is continuing those habits and she is slim. She will never be one of the skinniest girls but she looks great. So, in essence, I still think you are horrible to mock people when you don't know what you're talking about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That is the entire quote. No one cropped anything. It is on the first page of this thread. The supposed teacher also called op a Cow.
I am just really hoping she is not a real teacher.

What in the world are you talking about? I wrote the post you quoted but did not, in fact, call the OP a cow.

And I stand by what I said. And yes I am a teacher.

[Anonymous]

So far I think the rules make sense. The carpool is worked out to the second, with lots of sub-rules and restrictions. But they've been doing it for eons. Who am I, as a new parent, to rebel? There are reasons. And maybe it doesn't work the best for me personally, but some other rule on some other area, will.

We follow the school rules because we want DC to follow our rules. So we set the tone. If we really don't like how something IMPORTANT is going down, we join a committee and find a constructive way to voice our opinions. We've had lots of success at both schools so far with this approach.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So far I think the rules make sense. The carpool is worked out to the second, with lots of sub-rules and restrictions. But they've been doing it for eons. Who am I, as a new parent, to rebel? There are reasons. And maybe it doesn't work the best for me personally, but some other rule on some other area, will.

We follow the school rules because we want DC to follow our rules. So we set the tone. If we really don't like how something IMPORTANT is going down, we join a committee and find a constructive way to voice our opinions. We've had lots of success at both schools so far with this approach.

Finally, sanity prevails.

[Anonymous]

I'm 15:44 and I cropped nothing.