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People here are calling out the Dad for allowing his daughter to have ham, cheese and a pickle in her lunch. Many parents pack similar items such as sandwiches made with deli meat, cheese or bologna and probably even pickles for those who go the extra mile. Some would say that peanut butter has too much fat, jelly has too much sugar. We also pack things that. I suspect many do, which is why I find the criticism puzzling.
Regarding the 3 small pieces of chocolate and the 4 marshmallows, I also don't understand the outrage. Many kids pack cookies, brownies, granola bars and other types of dessert with their lunch. Fruit is better but a lot of fruit is high sugar. I suspect most parents pack sugary things like fruit, yogurt, muffins, dessert, etc. I know I do.
I also don't get the Ritz hate. Many parents pack things like goldfish crackers, white bread, bagels, chips, etc. All pretty similar to Ritz. I know I've packed all of the above at one point or another.
I'm just seriously puzzled as to why so many are thinking this lunch is so terrible. Could it be better? of course. But is it really as bad as some are making it out to be? I don't even think it's all that out of the ordinary.
I hope to hear from some of those who are outraged about this lunch about what they pack for their kids everyday.
I agree. I certainly did pack occasional treats for my son as well. Not every single item in his lunch was the most nutritious thing, and some certainly could be considered junk food. He loved those Little Debbie snacks, so once in a while those went into the grocery cart too. Goldfish crackers? Absolutely. In fact I left those off the list - they were usually in his lunch - he loved them. I think people just love to overreact.
People here are calling out the Dad for allowing his daughter to have ham, cheese and a pickle in her lunch. Many parents pack similar items such as sandwiches made with deli meat, cheese or bologna and probably even pickles for those who go the extra mile. Some would say that peanut butter has too much fat, jelly has too much sugar. We also pack things that. I suspect many do, which is why I find the criticism puzzling.
No, I'm pretty sure it has more to do with the four candy bars, bag of marshmallows, and Ritz crackers.
~300 calories of candy bars (assuming fun-sized)
~100 calories of marshmallows
~100-200 calories of Ritz rackers
~100 calories of ham
~50 calories of low fat cheese.
pickle is negligible.
When your kid's lunch consists of 400 calories of candy, 100-200 calories of junk food, and 150 calories of food, most people are going to say that's not a very balanced diet. You might disagree and say that, to you, does sound like a balanced diet that you'd feed your kid. Ham and pickles are really only a concern because of the extreme sodium content. In isolation it's not that bad. If it's typical, it is problematic.
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Regarding the 3 small pieces of chocolate and the 4 marshmallows, I also don't understand the outrage. Many kids pack cookies, brownies, granola bars and other types of dessert with their lunch. Fruit is better but a lot of fruit is high sugar. I suspect most parents pack sugary things like fruit, yogurt, muffins, dessert, etc. I know I do.
I also don't get the Ritz hate. Many parents pack things like goldfish crackers, white bread, bagels, chips, etc. All pretty similar to Ritz. I know I've packed all of the above at one point or another.
Many parents are also horrible nutritionists. As I said, just pack the kid a Lunchable, the four candy bars, and a bag of marshmallows as that's basically what that lunch was. I know when I was a kid I really wanted Lunchables. Why? Because many of the parents sent their kids to school with them. You know how many times I got Lunchables? Never. My parents parented rather than letting me pack a lunch that consisted of 60-70% candy and junk food.
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I'm just seriously puzzled as to why so many are thinking this lunch is so terrible. Could it be better? of course. But is it really as bad as some are making it out to be? I don't even think it's all that out of the ordinary.
As I said, enough parents are horrible nutritionists and/or just don't care that it's probably not really that out of the ordinary.
My take on this is that parents are defensive over their rights to choose things for their kids being interfered with by various authorities, to include the police, CPS, school teachers and administrators, and this outrage is part of a backlash.
Should the teacher have said something about the lunch? Well, possibly, especially if there was a pattern, or if the child complained over being hungry. After one lunch? No, probably not.
Should the father have gone like a mature adult to the principal and talked to them instead of posting the note online? Yeah, probably. But my guess is he wanted to add his voice to the "good, credible" parents whose parenting choices are being called into question. No parents are perfect, no school lunch is perfect, accidents happen to kids, etc. But this whole new generation of paranoia and "we must protect the kids!!" attitude that's been happening lately... It's getting parents (rightly) defensive - and they react as such to perceived (or real) threats or judgments on their parenting abilities.
I am a 68 soon to be 69 year old relic who came home for lunch every day when I was in grammar school. So my mom knew what I was eating. That didn't mean nutritious lunches though. Sometimes it was cream cheese and jelly sandwiches. Sometimes it was hot dogs. Often it would be egg or tuna salad.
I am a 68 soon to be 69 year old relic who came home for lunch every day when I was in grammar school. So my mom knew what I was eating. That didn't mean nutritious lunches though. Sometimes it was cream cheese and jelly sandwiches. Sometimes it was hot dogs. Often it would be egg or tuna salad.
I lived.
Some people would want to have you put in an orphanage because of that.
No, I'm pretty sure it has more to do with the four candy bars, bag of marshmallows, and Ritz crackers.
~300 calories of candy bars (assuming fun-sized)
~100 calories of marshmallows
~100-200 calories of Ritz rackers
~100 calories of ham
~50 calories of low fat cheese.
pickle is negligible.
When your kid's lunch consists of 400 calories of candy, 100-200 calories of junk food, and 150 calories of food, most people are going to say that's not a very balanced diet. You might disagree and say that, to you, does sound like a balanced diet that you'd feed your kid. Ham and pickles are really only a concern because of the extreme sodium content. In isolation it's not that bad. If it's typical, it is problematic.
Many parents are also horrible nutritionists. As I said, just pack the kid a Lunchable, the four candy bars, and a bag of marshmallows as that's basically what that lunch was. I know when I was a kid I really wanted Lunchables. Why? Because many of the parents sent their kids to school with them. You know how many times I got Lunchables? Never. My parents parented rather than letting me pack a lunch that consisted of 60-70% candy and junk food.
As I said, enough parents are horrible nutritionists and/or just don't care that it's probably not really that out of the ordinary.
I think it is wrong to assume that this was the child's lunch, every single day. Also, you have no knowledge of the child's activities, either. I imagine that if you examined how much my son ate, each day, during middle and high school, you would have thought that he was quite overweight. But I raised him with fitness being a daily routine. He started running with me when he was 8, and joined my gym at 12. He burned every calorie, and then some, I assure you.
I think it is wrong to assume that this was the child's lunch, every single day. Also, you have no knowledge of the child's activities, either. I imagine that if you examined how much my son ate, each day, during middle and high school, you would have thought that he was quite overweight. But I raised him with fitness being a daily routine. He started running with me when he was 8, and joined my gym at 12. He burned every calorie, and then some, I assure you.
No, I don't know that. It would not, however, surprise me. I think that packing a lunch that consists mostly of candies and junk food would be fairly typical for most children who don't have involved parents.
Reminds me of a story one of my friends had when he took his nephew hiking and treated him as an adult. Clothing consisted of shorts, which was of course not warm enough, and the food consisted of massive quantities of gummies, which resulted ins stomach cramps and a sugar crash. Needless to say the hike was cut short. Sometimes parents just need to behave like parents rather than treating their independent six-year-old as an adult who is capable of making good decisions.
No, I don't know that. It would not, however, surprise me. I think that packing a lunch that consists mostly of candies and junk food would be fairly typical for most children who don't have involved parents.
What do you think should be done if this was the child's lunch everyday?
What do you think should be done if this was the child's lunch everyday?
There's little that can be done. Bad parents abound. You can attempt to educate them, but it's far easier said than done. A note asking the parent to send the child to school with a proper lunch is really as far as the school has any right to go. As evidence, most parents are more likely to respond belligerently as they're not really that well-adjusted emotionally and aren't capable of taking criticism without becoming overly defensive.
A terrible diet negatively affecting the child's learning abilities and teaching them habits that will likely lead to their joining the majority in overweight and obesity in adulthood with likely health problems such as diabetes and heart disease down the road doesn't really amount to child abuse necessary to intervene for the child's welfare. It's just bad parenting, not child abuse.
I had notes sent home a few times when I didn't do my homework or misbehaved in class. A note isn't CPS coming for the kids and locking the parents up. It's a note.
No, I'm pretty sure it has more to do with the four candy bars, bag of marshmallows, and Ritz crackers.
~300 calories of candy bars (assuming fun-sized)
~100 calories of marshmallows
~100-200 calories of Ritz rackers
~100 calories of ham
~50 calories of low fat cheese.
pickle is negligible.
When your kid's lunch consists of 400 calories of candy, 100-200 calories of junk food, and 150 calories of food, most people are going to say that's not a very balanced diet. You might disagree and say that, to you, does sound like a balanced diet that you'd feed your kid. Ham and pickles are really only a concern because of the extreme sodium content. In isolation it's not that bad. If it's typical, it is problematic.
Many parents are also horrible nutritionists. As I said, just pack the kid a Lunchable, the four candy bars, and a bag of marshmallows as that's basically what that lunch was. I know when I was a kid I really wanted Lunchables. Why? Because many of the parents sent their kids to school with them. You know how many times I got Lunchables? Never. My parents parented rather than letting me pack a lunch that consisted of 60-70% candy and junk food.
As I said, enough parents are horrible nutritionists and/or just don't care that it's probably not really that out of the ordinary.
The clarified article spoke of 3 small pieces of chocolate (of which she ate one) Not four candy bars. The four marshmallows (the worst thing in her lunch by far).
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I think people just love to overreact.
But I raised him with fitness being a daily routine. He started running with me when he was 8, and joined my gym at 12. He burned every calorie, and then some, I assure you.
