Mom against sweets in the classroom

[Wishing on a star]

Wishing: A lot of schools do sell candy, slushies and other items but its after lunch. That way the kids get a treat if they want after they have eaten lunch. They do have rules they have to follow in order to sell these items and I don't see where it is "pushed" on kids.

Sending cupcakes for your child's class to share on his/her birthday when everyone else does the same thing is not making your child a "snowflake" (I hate the way that term is used on the dis; all children are different and special so in fact, it is my opinion that ALL children are "snowflakes"--but whatever).

In fact, it seems to me that it is the parent that thinks the rest of the class should conform to his/her parenting ideals that is making their child more important than the rest.

1. In our school, these things are, without a doubt, being pushed on the kids. Every single day. I am sure that my local schools aren't the only ones. (THUS the outrage and the 'no sweets' fanatics) I firmly believe that if schools would follow common sense and quit the slushies, sodas, candy, purposefully parading little 6 year olds thru the concession stand, etc.. etc... all day long, every single day... then we would NOT even be having this discussion today. Something as simple as an occasional birthday cupcake would not even be an issue, at all. It wouldn't be a national debate. Crazy Cupcake Lady would be a local laughingstock instead of making national news. We wouldn't have schools, influenced by Crazy Cupcake Ladies, swinging too far in the opposit direction, mandating that parents can not send anything but carrots and leaves and twigs for their OWN CHILD'S lunch or snack. THERE MUST BE A MIDDLE GROUND HERE.

2. If you have ever read my posts, then you know that I am always calling out the 'parent bashers' who bash parents and their 'little snowflakes'. I HATE parent bashing... I am, in NO way, one of those posters. If I use the term 'snowflake', then it means something.

3. I agree on your last point. When it comes to crazy cupcake lady, who is trying to enforce the schools to conform to her drastic views... SHE is definitely in the wrong.

 

[luckymom4]

My youngest two ( DD9 and DS5) go to a charter school. The last 30 minutes of the day is spent outside. This is their recess time. During that time parents can bring in a cake for their child's birthday if they want. No disruption to instructional time this way. However, they still say the Pledge of Allegiance and pray before meals too, so I'm sure most parents would throw a hissy at the idea of their child attending our school.

 

[sbell111]

... 2. If you have ever read my posts, then you know that I am always calling out the 'parent bashers' who bash parents and their 'little snowflakes'. I HATE parent bashing... I am, in NO way, one of those posters. If I use the term 'snowflake', then it means something.

Take a quick read of what you wrote. If someone else had posted this, you would have been all over them.

 

[Wishing on a star]

Yep, sbell, in other circumstances, you might be right!!!

Maybe I should have chosen a less inflammatory word. It was being used by other posters and I guess I just picked up on it.

But, yes, in my experience, most of the parents who waltzed into the school with cupcakes were the hovering, indulgent, 'snowflake' parents.

As I had posted, I got pulled into the whole cupcake thing when DS was very little. But, after that, I realized, hey, he is having birthday cake at home, birthday cake at grandma's, possibly a birthday party.... etc. etc... etc... It's like a marathon of cake and crap. After a year or two of all this goings on and on and on.... I was like, enough is enough.

The amount of cheap lame sugary crap that my little early elementary school son was having offered/pushed on him at school all week was just plain overload, pure and simple.

I don't think all this kind of treats are necessary for children to have a happy/positive/and even 'fun' experience at school.

This thread is well beyond Kindergarteners having occasional birthday cupcakes.
I have said many many times now that I am perfectly okay with it if my son has occasional birthday cupcakes.

 

[rie'smom]

Yep, sbell, in other circumstances, you might be right!!!

Maybe I should have chosen a less inflammatory word. It was being used by other posters and I guess I just picked up on it.

But, yes, in my experience, most of the parents who waltzed into the school with cupcakes were the hovering, indulgent, 'snowflake' parents.

As I had posted, I got pulled into the whole cupcake thing when DS was very little. But, after that, I realized, hey, he is having birthday cake at home, birthday cake at grandma's, possibly a birthday party.... etc. etc... etc... It's like a marathon of cake and crap. After a year or two of all this goings on and on and on.... I was like, enough is enough.

The amount of cheap lame sugary crap that my little early elementary school son was having offered/pushed on him at school all week was just plain overload, pure and simple.

I don't think all this kind of treats are necessary for children to have a happy/positive/and even 'fun' experience at school.

This thread is well beyond Kindergarteners having occasional birthday cupcakes.
I have said many many times now that I am perfectly okay with it if my son has occasional birthday cupcakes.

You have misused the word. A snowflake is the child of a parent who expects the world to stop for their special child. In other words, my child can't have a treat so nobody's child can have one.

Post after post has stated that kids who are not allowed for whatever reason have had allowed treats provided for them.

 

[Jeafl]

.

But, yes, in my experience, most of the parents who waltzed into the school with cupcakes were the hovering, indulgent, 'snowflake' parents.


.

I'm not trying to be disrespectful, but out of curiousity, how much time do you spend in the school? The only reason I ask is that I never in my wildest dreams ever knew what REALLY went on in a school until this past year, when I spent all day, every day (M-F anyway!) in a first grade classroom. I did my fair share of volunteering in the classroom when my kids were younger, but I have since realized that those times were a totally incomplete picture of what really goes on!

In my class this year, we may have had one or two "snowflake" parents as you call them, but the vast majority of parents who brought in treats (and not just cupcakes) were just your average, everyday parents who wanted to do something nice for their child's class, with no ulterior motive. That's my experience anyway.

 

[luvsJack]

1. In our school, these things are, without a doubt, being pushed on the kids. Every single day. I am sure that my local schools aren't the only ones. (THUS the outrage and the 'no sweets' fanatics) I firmly believe that if schools would follow common sense and quit the slushies, sodas, candy, purposefully parading little 6 year olds thru the concession stand, etc.. etc... all day long, every single day... then we would NOT even be having this discussion today. Something as simple as an occasional birthday cupcake would not even be an issue, at all. It wouldn't be a national debate. Crazy Cupcake Lady would be a local laughingstock instead of making national news. We wouldn't have schools, influenced by Crazy Cupcake Ladies, swinging too far in the opposit direction, mandating that parents can not send anything but carrots and leaves and twigs for their OWN CHILD'S lunch or snack. THERE MUST BE A MIDDLE GROUND HERE.

2. If you have ever read my posts, then you know that I am always calling out the 'parent bashers' who bash parents and their 'little snowflakes'. I HATE parent bashing... I am, in NO way, one of those posters. If I use the term 'snowflake', then it means something.

3. I agree on your last point. When it comes to crazy cupcake lady, who is trying to enforce the schools to conform to her drastic views... SHE is definitely in the wrong.

I agree with you there. There really should be middle ground.

Maybe its just the great food service manager we have in our district; but our lunches and breakfasts are very well balanced meals. The kids do get the opportunity to either buy ice cream or a slushy after they eat lunch. I send money for dd to get the treat every day. She eats good food the rest of the time, so its just not a big deal to me. If it was, I wouldn't send the money.

 

[MushyMushy]

I'm not trying to be disrespectful, but out of curiousity, how much time do you spend in the school? The only reason I ask is that I never in my wildest dreams ever knew what REALLY went on in a school until this past year, when I spent all day, every day (M-F anyway!) in a first grade classroom. I did my fair share of volunteering in the classroom when my kids were younger, but I have since realized that those times were a totally incomplete picture of what really goes on!

In my class this year, we may have had one or two "snowflake" parents as you call them, but the vast majority of parents who brought in treats (and not just cupcakes) were just your average, everyday parents who wanted to do something nice for their child's class, with no ulterior motive. That's my experience anyway.

Every school is probably different, but I agree with this. I volunteered for YEARS in my kids' elementary classrooms (from 1996 through 2007 for both kids! ) and the birthday treats were truly not a snowflake spectacle or anything like that. They always took place of the daily snack, and nobody stopped to sing happy birthday or anything like that. It was just a special snack instead of their usual whatever.

I went in to help one year and someone had sent in birthday cookies, so I was passing them out. One little boy said he couldn't have it because he had a gluten allergy... I was horrified because I just felt so bad for him, but he took it in stride, as did all the kids. It was honestly no big deal for him to turn it down and just have his regular snack. In all those years of volunteering I never heard of one child except that one who couldn't partake in the treats. Around here -- and I'm not necessarily saying this is a good thing or a bad thing; it just is -- we don't have peanut bans or permissible food lists or anything like that. I guess people just cope.