To think that a busy life is no excuse for not giving your child breakfast?

[exBrightonBell]

Just watched the BBC news about a school which will be giving all its pupils a free breakfast. Amongst the reasons for children not being given breakfast at home was having a busy life. They interviewed a mum who said that their mornings were too late and busy to reliably give the children breakfast, and that she didn't have time to have an argument about it. She seemed to think that this was completely reasonable. AIBU to think that this isn't a reasonable excuse? Poverty and neglect are both reasons why children don't get breakfast at home, but parents being too busy? Really?

[rollmopses]

For many, eating an early breakfast is a task near impossible (myself included), DT1 has serious difficulties eating before 10am. However, breakfast he eats, every day, at 7am. Often with dear Mummy hovering over him with stories of how the particular concoction on offer would make him much smarter/faster/tRex-like/etc/etc. We always get there eventually.
Takes a lot of effort and time on my part, yet I wouldn't dream of letting DTs leave without proper meal.
[stern Mummy]

[mindingalongtime]

Many of my minded children frequently arrive without having had anything, not even a drink of water and then I m expected to provide breakfast and feed 6 of them in 15 minutes before I go on the school run.

Mums say, "oh can you give them a bit of breakfast" so I say the only cereal I have is porridge and they say Oh they won't eat porridge - uh, so feed them at home!

They say the children have been up since 6.00am - 2 hours, so why haven't they had breakfast??

It is certainly not a money issue, with my families!

[colditz]

Minding, if I were you, I would be serving breakfast every day to every child who came without breakfast!

I would also amend my contract to make it clear I would be charging £10 per child, per breakfast, per day.

[BunFagFreddie]

Breakfast clubs at any school are a great idea, especially for working parents. DS prefered the breakfast club, and shunned my breakfasts at home. I suspect that was because they served food that I wouldn't have. They laid on waffles and icecream on a Thursday. Also, he had friends who went, so naturally he didn't want to miss out.

Maybe these parents who are too busy could just send their DC along to breakfast club and pay like everyone else does?

[mindingalongtime]

colditz, I'd love to give them all breakfast but as they ALL arrive late, it is impossible for me to do so, it is a mad scramble to get them in the car as it is and quite honestly I don't really want all the hassle, but really worry about the children.

I worry that some of them don't seem to drink anything all day either, they get an inch of water in their cups at lunch time, I make them drink a glass of water when they come after school before they eat anything!

[mynameisnowsonicthehedgehog]

This morning I took a freecycle item I had kindly offerred to deliver to someone... it was around 815 am.

I knocked but she didn't hear me, so went round the front, she said she hadn't heard me as they were having breakfast, there were two small children sitting on the sofa with a bag of monster munch and big bag of haribos each!

[mindingalongtime]

One of my colleagues little one arrives with the crust of a deep pan pizza on many mornings, another ( 2 year old) had a cold McDonalds in her lunch box, c/m removed it gave her a proper lunch and handed it back to the parent at pick up time, the parent couldn't see what the problem was! C/m now provides lunch and charges for it.

(I have always provided lunch as I want them to eat the same and healthily)

[stealthsquiggle]

BunFagFreddie - My DC would kill for waffles for breakfast on a school day (with or without ice cream). That's a weekend/holiday with Mummy in an exceptionally good mood option in this household.

[CheerfulYank]

Yes to breakfast clubs being different.

DS is another one who shuns breakfast...I have to stand over him saying "just a few bites!" while he gets stroppy. In the summertime he would often not eat until after 10. When he starts full time school next year I may enroll him in the breakfast club because he can eat a bit later.

I'm just really not comfortable forcing him to eat, but I can't send him to preschool with nothing in his tummy. Though they do have a good snack around 9:30.

[Wheresmycaffeinedrip]

I just don't get when it became a matter off - it's ok school will do it! They feed our children at lunch they provide snacks they change their clothes of they get wet or dirty etc. the one thing parents have to do and some can't either be bothered to do that?

Then they all come on hear and moan that the teachers aren't teaching. Well how can they when they are busy doing our jobs as well as trying to do theirs.

I know so many people who work their arses off to arrange /afford breakfast clubs etc to ensure that if they aren't home to
Feed them then someone is. I bet many are pissed off at forking out the money or dragging them round their every morning only to find out they coulda just not bothered and school will sort it.

Thank god they do, for the sake of those poor children who's parents are too busy to feed them even one meals day!

[shockers]

I used to work in a school in Blackpool, where the scheme is being piloted (not the school shown on the news though). I used to make porridge for at least 3 children in my class every day. They brought themselves to school, mostly without a coat, even in winter, and quite often had not eaten anything but sweets for tea the night before. SS are stretched in Blackpool, there is an awful lot of child neglect in certain areas there. One boy once brought three 10p packets of crisps for his lunch ... bought on the way to school with money he had found in his mum's coat pocket