Anonymous
Post 05/08/2024 20:37     Subject: Can someone explain why some moms/parents
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Because I don't want to. I'd rather give money at the start of the year once, and have them use that to get snacks.


But who is the “them” doing the shopping? The teachers?? Because they have soooo much more time than you do to shop for items for the whole year on their unpaid hours?
Wow.
Completely tone deaf “oh-so-busy-parent” response.


They have time to make a 25 item sign up list and send reminders; they have time to go to Costco if it’s really that important.

Or? Don’t serve a snack. No one will care.
Anonymous
Post 05/08/2024 20:27     Subject: Can someone explain why some moms/parents
Anonymous wrote:Because I wish they would stop pushing junk food at every activity. Plus my kid is allergic to dairy and nuts which means they can’t eat most of the snacks anyways.


So bring something healthy that meets your approval.
This isn’t hard.
Anonymous
Post 05/08/2024 20:26     Subject: Can someone explain why some moms/parents
Anonymous wrote:Because I don't want to. I'd rather give money at the start of the year once, and have them use that to get snacks.


But who is the “them” doing the shopping? The teachers?? Because they have soooo much more time than you do to shop for items for the whole year on their unpaid hours?
Wow.
Completely tone deaf “oh-so-busy-parent” response.
Anonymous
Post 05/08/2024 20:22     Subject: Can someone explain why some moms/parents
It is 100% solely to measure and shame other moms. My DH is a SAHD and does snack, field trips, car pool, and all of it. He is the only dad that does this stuff, and we have 3 kids at the same elementary school. He likes to do the stuff and enjoys the net work he's built at the school. Still I constantly get comments from multiple queen bee mom's about how they didn't see my name on x,y or z list etc.., jokes about how they forgot what i looked like because they never see me, etc.. It's very annoying and nothing about our family's contribution since my kids have a very active parent
Anonymous
Post 05/08/2024 20:07     Subject: Can someone explain why some moms/parents
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Because I wish they would stop pushing junk food at every activity. Plus my kid is allergic to dairy and nuts which means they can’t eat most of the snacks anyways.

So provide a nut free dairy free snack your kid can eat.
Wishing the culture would change won’t actually change the culture. Not sending in snacks won’t either. Just makes you look mean or selfish or both.


I’m the previous poster.

I just wanted that it’s definitely an added bonus that it angers petty busybodies such as yourself. Stay mad!
Anonymous
Post 05/08/2024 19:58     Subject: Can someone explain why some moms/parents
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Because I wish they would stop pushing junk food at every activity. Plus my kid is allergic to dairy and nuts which means they can’t eat most of the snacks anyways.

So provide a nut free dairy free snack your kid can eat.
Wishing the culture would change won’t actually change the culture. Not sending in snacks won’t either. Just makes you look mean or selfish or both.


DP. Why? My kid (another allergy) can’t eat the snacks. It doesn’t bother me in the slightest for her to come home and eat a big nutritious dinner and miss out on a bag of goldfish. Why would I give in to an unhealthy norm just to make apparently badly-read parents think better of me?
Anonymous
Post 05/08/2024 19:45     Subject: Can someone explain why some moms/parents
Anonymous wrote:Because I wish they would stop pushing junk food at every activity. Plus my kid is allergic to dairy and nuts which means they can’t eat most of the snacks anyways.

So provide a nut free dairy free snack your kid can eat.
Wishing the culture would change won’t actually change the culture. Not sending in snacks won’t either. Just makes you look mean or selfish or both.
Anonymous
Post 05/08/2024 19:40     Subject: Can someone explain why some moms/parents
Junk food was first that came to mind.
If you are in wealthy area then It's possible that they think it will be taken care of by others with not problem.
Anonymous
Post 05/08/2024 19:34     Subject: Can someone explain why some moms/parents
I would refuse if it was something I didn’t think warranted a snack. I think kids are given way too many snacks and I prefer they get hungry for a meal.
Anonymous
Post 05/08/2024 19:31     Subject: Can someone explain why some moms/parents
Anonymous wrote:Because I don't want to. I'd rather give money at the start of the year once, and have them use that to get snacks.


This is how our room parents do it. They collect money at the beginning of the year and use it throughout the year. The only sign up geniuses are for PTO events and the same people sign up within 5 minutes of it going out, and I don't see my emails until the end of the day, so I never actually have the opportunity to sign up.
Anonymous
Post 05/08/2024 18:15     Subject: Can someone explain why some moms/parents
Anonymous wrote:Pick one:
1) I missed the email in the 400 emails I got about end of year activities and events
2) I meant to, but forgot
3) I wish they didn't do snacks, and am hoping that by avoiding it for awhile the organizers eventually stop asking for this.
4) I thought I did sign up, but I'm confusing this sign up with the sign up for a volunteer shift


Mine are:

5) KIDS DON'T NEED JUNK THROWN AT THEM 24/7
6) Also dealing with allergies and IBS in my family, which doesn't motivate me to think about food for others who aren't guests in my home.

I pay my share; I bring non-food items; I chaperone field trips; I spent years being a board member on the PTA.
Anonymous
Post 05/08/2024 18:04     Subject: Can someone explain why some moms/parents
Anonymous wrote:Because snack culture is out of control, and my kids don’t eat snacks at after-school activities due to allergies.

Kids really will live without stuffing Goldfish into their faces every five seconds.


Agree with this. Snack culture and hydration culture.

There is a lot of make work for moms because someone thinks it's nice. And then there's a lot of judgy stuff going on about healthy snacks, snacks made on a process line that cannot be guaranteed to be allergy free even though not known to contain allergens, etc.

I once got into an argument with a mom who felt it was essential to sell Sun Chips at public school lunch because chips are an American birthright. I pointed out if this were true the school lunch guidelines might allow them to be a vegetable. Lol.

Snacks work best when each kid brings their own and the classroom petty cash kitty supplements quietly for kids whose parents forgot or can't afford snack packing.
Anonymous
Post 05/08/2024 17:55     Subject: Re:Can someone explain why some moms/parents
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I did for the 1st 5 years but noticed there is always too much and the parent in charge just gives them out to go home.

I volunteer to fund 10 bored moms standing around because 2 were enough.

It’s poor planning on the planners part so I stopped being part of the madness.

I’m the treasurer for the sports committee instead but you don’t know that because I don’t need validation from moms seeing I contribute.


YES YES YES -- I don't want to fund other parents volunteering for pointless activities, even if they do spend considerable time attempting to make me feel less-than because I don't helicopter to the same extent!


It's so true but the super-volunteer moms won't hear it. I do not donate or volunteer for anything that is not teacher/classroom given anymore because I realized most of that stuff is just moms giving other moms tasks for no reason. If a teacher says "we need XYZ or a teacher volunteer for this activity" I'm all over that. The teacher has a freaking classroom plan and curriculum and also has no interest in having a bunch of bored parents standing around her classroom for no reason. But PTAs regularly plan events essentially so parents can stand around and pretend they are helping. It's a circle jerk and I have other stuff to do. No thank you.
Anonymous
Post 05/08/2024 17:51     Subject: Re:Can someone explain why some moms/parents
Anonymous wrote:I did for the 1st 5 years but noticed there is always too much and the parent in charge just gives them out to go home.

I volunteer to fund 10 bored moms standing around because 2 were enough.

It’s poor planning on the planners part so I stopped being part of the madness.

I’m the treasurer for the sports committee instead but you don’t know that because I don’t need validation from moms seeing I contribute.


YES YES YES -- I don't want to fund other parents volunteering for pointless activities, even if they do spend considerable time attempting to make me feel less-than because I don't helicopter to the same extent!
Anonymous
Post 05/08/2024 17:48     Subject: Can someone explain why some moms/parents
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Who cares? I don't understand why they don't just tack on a snack fee at the beginning of the year and then go buy shelf stable snacks in bulk at Costco one time. Is it really a good use of everyone's time for the teachers to set up these sign up sheets, have to send out multiple reminders for people to sign up, then families to separately go out and buy snacks every week? Why? Why would anyone organize it this way?

Is the point to make sure kids have access to snacks, or is it to add yet another item to every family's to do list? I get why someone might just opt out. Or forget. Or think "my kid never even eats the snack and this is a hassle, why am I participating in this."

Add in the fact that there are always a laundry list of rules about what snacks are allowed and you get to the point where there are only like 4 permitted snacks anyway. So ask families to Venmo you some money and then go to Costco once and get a bunch of those snacks at the lowest per-unit price possible. Heck, see if a parent will volunteer to do this -- I would happily make one Costco run early in the year if it means I never get an email about freaking snack sign up again.


Because 1) the school doesn’t have enough storage space for a years worth of snacks, and 2) the rats will eat them all by Labor Day.

Why don’t you volunteer your house as storage for all the snacks?


Instead of one big Costco run, it's a "Subscribe and Save" that sends two weeks worth of snacks to the school every two weeks, can be skipped over the holidays, and is easier to ration because it's not possible for any teacher to totally drain the snack supplies for the year by overestimating what she needs.

The school should do something about the rats though. Call Facilities, that's nasty.


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