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I'm not assuming anything. They are just restricting toxic crap from their school, the same way schools used to let teachers and 18 year old high schoolers go outside and smoke, and now we know better and you can't even be anywhere on school property and smoke, even in your car. No kid is going to suffer if they have to wait till they get home to get a cookie. I know you probably see this comparison as silly, but IMO it's really not.
Schools have always restricted certain things from school they deemed harmful to children, what's changing is the definition of what's harmless and what's not. You and your kids may be fine, but the obesity rate among kids has skyrocketed, there are now children getting Type II Diabetes and high blood pressure, which was almost unheard of 20 or 30 years ago.
You might not think that's a big deal, but it poses a great risk for us in the future in terms of economics. Apparently too many parents don't know enough about nutrition, as evidenced by these rising rates. I guarantee you there are kids in schools showing up daily with Pop Tarts for lunch and cookies for after the Pop Tarts and juice to drink with the Pop Tarts, and many of the parents have no idea that's not only unhealthy, but actually toxic in the long term. So schools step in, and they make rules. No, skinny kids don't get a pass. You can be skinny and still get diabetes. Like I said, I'm not sure this is the most effective way to tackle the issue, but I can see why they are trying this tack.
All through my schooling kids could bring whatever they wanted in their lunch (except gum), elementary school I walked home for lunch. We had pretzel day, bake sales and moms brought sweet baked goodies for birthdays and holiday parties. We also had gym and recess everyday. High school I smoked on my lunch break. Kids brought pocket knives to trade and had deer riffles in their trucks in the parking lot. Obesity was rare, diabetes rare, only old men had high blood pressure, never heard of school shootings.
Much of this held true throughout my kids school years. Now we restrict food and activities and monitor every aspect of school children and now we have obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure school shootings, etc. Kids ride the buss when they live 2 blocks from school. I see parent drive them to the end of the driveway to catch the bus. As far as I know kids don't go outside everyday or have gym everyday but they have lost of computer lab and watch movies.
I think most people are aware of of nutritional values, most are just lazy or not lazy but its just easier and cheaper to get quick processed foods that humans seem to like better than planning out really healthy meals and trying to actually get your kids to eat them. Working parents are busy.
Yup. You have to stand up to them. Educate the kids, yes. And that's were it stops.
It will get to the point that once the kids enter school in the morning the doors get locked and no one can see them until school is over and the doors are unlocked.
Sounds crazy today but give it 20 years.
I see how crazy it has gotten today from 20 years ago.
20 years ago I could show up with a pizza pie and 2 dozen cupcakes and be welcomed into the class for a Birthday celebration.
Obesity in young children has doubled over the past 30 years.
Obesity in teens has quadrupled over the past 30 years.
70-75% of adults are overweight/ obese, dependent on who is counting.
There are entirely preventable reasons why the U.S. spends more on healthcare than any other country.
Healthy, or unhealthy, teachers and schools have no business policing what I provide for my child's lunch.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jwiley
Agreed if they want to help with childhood obesity than go back to PE every day, stop cutting back on recesses, and stop taking recess away from kids who get in minor trouble. In other words teach kids how to actually exercise so that they can have a lifetime of better health.
I'm in the schools and there's some days I couldn't tell you what type of meat they are serving.
All I get from school cafeterias these days is a cup of Iced Tea that they make ONLY for the teachers.
Mystery meat is nothing new.
I attended public high school in the 70's. Hamburgers contained 50% oatmeal filler and were rather beige. Actually, they were pretty tasty. Probably 20% sodium.
I attended public high school in the 70's. Hamburgers contained 50% oatmeal filler and were rather beige. Actually, they were pretty tasty. Probably 20% sodium.
They have substituted a lot of wheat products for flour. Most of the kids don't like wheat and leave the bread/buns uneaten.
The food in the 70's would be considered gourmet by today's standards.
I think I'd rather a hamburger with oatmeal filler than pink slime filler. And they have gone back to the pink slime filler now that the outrage has died down.
Exactly. Many of these kids will essentially just throw away the food they are "mandated", sit through class distracted from hunger and then return home to binge on those snacks. Do you think this is a better scenario?
What, specifically, gives the government the right to say what a parent can send to school for a child to eat? (Keep in mind, we're talking nutrition, not safety, messes or distractions).
I don't know what gives the English government the right. I'm not English nor an expert in English government, but obviously they do not have the same laws we do. The strict gun control across the pond compared to the U.S. readily comes to mind. The two recent lunchbox incidents in the U.S. that were discussed extensively on the Parenting board were both about private daycares with published handbooks.
I'm no†assuming anything, nor judging anyone. I eat junk food too, I had birthday cake at work today and paid 75 cents extra so I could have both Chips Ahoy and Oreos in my Blizzard last Saturday. I'm not judging anyone, I don't know why you seem so defensive. I am saying too many people aren't educated about good nutrition, and as a country that lack of knowledge is costing us trillions and will get worse and worse if it doesn't change.
I am not basing that on assumptions. I am basing it on a couple of things:
A. 18 years experience in nursing home rehab, and seeing how much younger people are becoming too sick to live at home than when I started. I used to see 75 year olds, now I see 51 and 49 and 63 year olds with one or both legs amputated, who are almost blind from diabetes at 57, who have had major strokes due to hypertension at 46...every one of these people are going to live, some for decades, at a taxpayer cost of several hundred per DAY, each person..multiply that by every nursing home around the country, and then add the cost of the medicines and the dozens of hospitalizations that will occur in that time, and you'll see why I take it seriously. I see people every day who would give anything for a do-over in the choices they made, but it's too late. It makes me sad when we tell someone they can't go home, especially when it could have been prevented, so I am a bit passionate about the lack of education, especially by the health care system.
B. I am also basing it on the fact that childhood rates of diseases like type II diabetes and hypertension that used to be the sole domain of adults are skyrocketing. That is not my opinion, it's truth.
I already said twice I don't know that this is the perfect solution. Ideally this would begin at home. But it has to start young, and too many adults are not educated themselves on how important it is.
Our health care system should do it, but is now medicate rather than educate and has been for some time. So if parents can't or won't do it, and the health care system won't do it, then maybe the schools need to be involved, I don't know. But to see this as some kind of basic right, to have cookies at school, just highlights to me how big the problem really is.
I hear you.
It's actually quite sad that so many school districts are compelled to take action and intervene.
Some districts put more emphasis on physical activity than food.
Have you eaten a school lunch lately? I have eaten at school with my grandkids. Other than Wednesday (chicken patty day), the food is nasty. It has no flavor and looks like garbage. Actually garbage might be more appealing.
No different than it was 40 years ago when I was in high school.
If I read the article right, don't the teachers give what they took back to the kids at the end of the day ?
The link is about what happened in a school in the UK.
It says the kid gets it back at the end of the day with a note for the parent.
Last edited by middle-aged mom; 06-12-2015 at 10:17 AM..
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I'm not judging anyone, I don't know why you seem so defensive. I am saying too many people aren't educated about good nutrition, and as a country that lack of knowledge is costing us trillions and will get worse and worse if it doesn't change.
