What are "we" doing to our children in America?

[Wishing on a star]

thank you!!!

You made the point that I was also just posting with much better words!!!


Would anyone suggest that I set up an account at a store with all that junk right at the registers, and let my six year old go in every day and buy whatever they want!!!

 

[CEDmom]

Ummm, did anyone say anything about the teacher controlling what the kid eats????? We are talking about the Schools, the School Sytems.

And, yes, you can put a restriction on your kids account. But that does not make it RIGHT for the schools to be using five year olds as a marketing opportunity, so they can make money for pushing complete trash like slushies and airheads candy.

It also doesn't make it right to put the parents in that position. School should be safe, healthy, and beneficial. A parent shouldn't have to play the heavy and be in an adversarial position with their child, because, you can guarantee that this is what will happen... "insert whining or a very angry tone of voice here" "All the other kids get candy and slushies!!!!!!!!".

PS: apparantly the Gov't agrees, as our schools policies just removed these problems, "due to government regulations".

And Tommy got a puppy and Molly got a new bike. This is stuff parents hear every day. It comes down to personal responsibility and for a child that means the choices his/her parents have made. Parent's have to play the heavy day in and day out when it comes to making decisions on what's right and wrong. Junk food is everywhere as are many other things parents may not want their child to have.

Yes, we entrust our children to schools to teach them but that doesn't mean our choices get parked at the door. If you've educated your child on what good food vs. junk food does most times they'll make the right choice. A little junk now and then in an otherwise healthy diet isn't going to have much of an impact.

 

[KirstenB]

I sooooo agree with this! When my kids are at school I lose the ability to monitor them in any way. My 6 year old does not have the self discipline yet to pass up treats when he sees them - heck, I often don't! I control what my kids eat now for two reasons - their current health, and their future eating habits/tastes. If they have access to all sorts of things at school that aren't particularly good for them, that is undermining what I am trying to do at home. I happen to think that a child's current and future health are important enough that this shouldn't be taken lightly.

Okay, this is why I pack my child's lunch 4 days a week. One day she gets $2.00 to buy a school lunch. I disagree that I lose the ability to monitor my child's food. I only lose it if I chose to give it up, by letting her buy everyday.

 

[Wishing on a star]

CEDmom,

please see the above post, edited....

Are you advocating the schools pushing this junk?????

 

[chobie]

And Tommy got a puppy and Molly got a new bike. This is stuff parents hear every day. It comes down to personal responsibility and for a child that means the choices his/her parents have made. Parent's have to play the heavy day in and day out when it comes to making decisions on what's right and wrong. Junk food is everywhere as are many other things parents may not want their child to have.

Yes, we entrust our children to schools to teach them but that doesn't mean our choices get parked at the door.

But the parent can't be the heavy if they are not THERE!!!!! How hard is that to understand? Again a 5,6 or 7 year old has enough to deal with at school these days, they should not have to excercising will power every day in the lunch line!!!! No kid needs junk food, the elementary schools should not even be selling it. Offer them a few healthy lunch choices and leave it at that.

 

[Wishing on a star]

Same question for you Kirsten....
Are you saying that is perfectly fine for the schools to be pushing this junk on 5 year olds every single day, even twice a day????

 

[U2_rocks]

Okay, this is why I pack my child's lunch 4 days a week. One day she gets $2.00 to buy a school lunch. I disagree that I lose the ability to monitor my child's food. I only lose it if I chose to give it up, by letting her buy everyday.

Yes, and I pack lunch for mine 5 days a week. Kids share their junk, and there's an amazing amount of junk floating around school every day. My kids have no problem getting hold of every sweet thing that's circulating!

 

[chobie]

Okay, this is why I pack my child's lunch 4 days a week. One day she gets $2.00 to buy a school lunch. I disagree that I lose the ability to monitor my child's food. I only lose it if I chose to give it up, by letting her buy everyday.

You don't lose your ability to monitor you child's food, but we are putting small children in the position where they have to face this stuff every day. I am talking about the little kids. Like what Wishing on a Star said, can you really argue that the schools SHOULD be selling crap to small children?

 

[Wishing on a star]

That's right chobie!!!!
Should we all HAVE to pack our kids lunches every day and play the big heavy???? Why can't the schools use some common sense when it comes to what they are offering the kids?

I ask again,
Is it Okay, or not, that schools are selling candy and junk to five year olds every day?

Instead of nitpicking, just answer the question.

Is it not hard enough to be the parent-heavy without the schools adding to this!!!

I maintain that the schools should not be putting us in that position.

 

[CEDmom]

But the parent can't be the heavy if they are not THERE!!!!! How hard is that to understand? Again a 5,6 or 7 year old has enough to deal with at school these days, they should not have to excercising will power every day in the lunch line!!!! No kid needs junk food, the elementary schools should not even be selling it. Offer them a few healthy lunch choices and leave it at that.

I have a 6 yo that went through public school last year with junk food snacks at lunch time. We really didn't have an issue so I just don't see why this is such a big problem. A few times a month she got money to buy a treat after eating her lunch. The rest of the time she was fine w/o it. Why is it so hard to teach kids about good eating? We just don't have junk in our house on a regular basis. Maybe that's the difference.

I don't advocate schools pushing the stuff. We just don't have that issue here. Snacks are not sold until the last 10 minutes of lunch after kids have had a chance to eat a healthy lunch.

 

[Wishing on a star]

CEDmom,
Then count yourself lucky.
This was NOT the situation at our school.
I am talking slushies and airheads candy IN the lunchline.
Then again at snacktime.
A parent would not even have to send their kid to school with money... Just slap it on the account. cha-ching!!!!

I can assure you that MANY children would not make the choices that your child has made.

 

[chobie]

I have a 6 yo that went through public school last year with junk food snacks at lunch time. We really didn't have an issue so I just don't see why this is such a big problem. A few times a month she got money to buy a treat after eating her lunch. The rest of the time she was fine w/o it. Why is it so hard to teach kids about good eating? We just don't have junk in our house on a regular basis. Maybe that's the difference.

I don't advocate schools pushing the stuff. We just don't have that issue here. Snacks are not sold until the last 10 minutes of lunch after kids have had a chance to eat a healthy lunch.

THAT IS ALL WE ARE SAYING: THE SCHOOLS SHOULD NOT BE PUSHIHNG THIS STUFF!!!!!

The snacks are sold at my kids school at the beginning when they get the rest of their lunch. They could fill their trays up with just chips and ice cream and no one would say a word. The title of the thread is "what are we doing to our kids", well we are paying taxes that go to schools that sell small children junk food. And some of us are not ok with that.

 

[Wishing on a star]

well we are paying taxes that go to schools that sell small children junk food. And some of us are not ok with that.

WELL SAID!!!

 

[teacherforhi]

CEDmom,
Then count yourself lucky.
This was NOT the situation at our school.
I am talking slushies and airheads candy IN the lunchline.
Then again at snacktime.
A parent would not even have to send their kid to school with money... Just slap it on the account. cha-ching!!!!

I can assure you that MANY children would not make the choices that your child has made.

So why wouldn't you put a restriction on your child's account? I'm not saying that it's right for schools to sell junk and honestly, it's not a problem that I've encountered on that scale. However, I do have parents who only allow children to buy extras one time a week or restrict which extras their children are allowed to buy. It's really not that difficult.

 

[U2_rocks]

Kids definitely do NOT need treats and junk every day! If treats were kept for special occasions like birthdays, school functions and holidays like valentine's day, it would send a clear message to kids that treats are OCCASIONAL things, not everyday things. Isn't that the healthier way to eat? Is the junk food so important that a child must have it every day, and if they don't then their "choices" are being taken away? If junk is so important, give it to your child after school! I know this isn't something that everyone believes, but I've seen it in enough of my family members, including my son, and I am CONVINCED that what you eat affects how you feel, your coordination, your concentration etc. A school without junk food would be one with calmer kids who were better able to concentrate in class. I wish some schools would implement a firm no sweets, no junk policy and tracks their kids' results for a year, see if there is a difference. I am pretty sure there would be.

I just don't see why the junk is necessary on an everyday basis.

 

[CEDmom]

CEDmom,
Then count yourself lucky.
This was NOT the situation at our school.
I am talking slushies and airheads candy IN the lunchline.

I can assure you that MANY children would not make the choices that your child has made.

Then I can understand your concern. Sorry to get on your case. My DD takes her lunch because she's what I like to call a choosey eater . However, last year her school's lunch program always served an entree with fruit and veggie. Like I said kids could go through the line again for a treat if the lunch aides deemed they'd eaten enough lunch. Snacks included cookies, ice cream sandwiches and various chips. No candy or slushies were sold.

 

[Wishing on a star]

Exactly U2,

They are feeding the kids all this sugar and food-dyes and preservatives... Then they expect them to sit quietly and learn??????

Yep, the schools are professional child experts.... REALLY smart when it comes to how to care for kids.

 

[chobie]

So why wouldn't you put a restriction on your child's account? I'm not saying that it's right for schools to sell junk and honestly, it's not a problem that I've encountered on that scale. However, I do have parents who only allow children to buy extras one time a week or restrict which extras their children are allowed to buy. It's really not that difficult.

I can't put a restriction on my kids account. They are not allowed to buy treats every day and I trust they respect what I say when I'm not there. However, that does not make it right for the schools to sell this **** to kids. It's not okay. It's not about parental responsiblity. I don't display an array of junk food in my house every day and then tell my kids they can't have it while other people in the house get to. That would be cruel and pointless. Again the school is "in loco parentis" and I don't know any parent who flaunts junk food in front of their kids faces every day while telling them not to eat it.

 

[Wishing on a star]

Chobie,

methinks that these educators will go down with the ship on any issue where parents may be critical of the school system.

 

[U2_rocks]

So why wouldn't you put a restriction on your child's account? I'm not saying that it's right for schools to sell junk and honestly, it's not a problem that I've encountered on that scale. However, I do have parents who only allow children to buy extras one time a week or restrict which extras their children are allowed to buy. It's really not that difficult.

It is difficult when the kids share food, and when day after day the kids whose parents are only letting them eat the healthy stuff see the goodies that the others are eating. It's one thing for your child to go on a playdate and eat stuff they aren't usually allowed at home - their house, their rules, and my kids "get" that. But at school they feel left out when they look at all the junk the others are eating and there's none in their lunch.