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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to think parents should provide a better pack lunch than this??

209 replies

neverlookback · 04/12/2013 13:12

My dd goes to the local community nursery a couple of mornings a week and when I pick her up at 12 all the kids staying all day have thier pack lunches ready on the tables, today as I'm waiting for dd to come through I noticed someone had sent in a bowl of cold takeaway garlic bread and chips! You could tell it was takeaway there's only 1 in our village!

I'm all for takeaway sometimes but I don't think this is a nice, healthy lunch for any child to have to take to nursery and eat cold or is it just me??

OP posts:
BigBirthdayGloom · 04/12/2013 18:57

Of course it's a rubbish lunch. The thing is, it's so obviously a rubbish lunch that you didn't really need to start a thread to ask if it was okay. I think that's why people are trying to in some small way support the parent who sent it in who was clearly either not aware of good nutrition, had a child with some eating problem or was simply completely up against it for any number of short or l

BigBirthdayGloom · 04/12/2013 18:59

Of course it's a rubbish lunch. The thing is, it's so obviously a rubbish lunch that you didn't really need to start a thread to ask if it was okay. I think that's why people are trying to in some small way support the parent who sent it in who was clearly either not aware of good nutrition, had a child with some eating problem or was simply completely up against it for any number of short or long term reasons. It would be nice to think that someone in any of those situations was receiving support.

BigBirthdayGloom · 04/12/2013 19:00

Sorry for posting twice.

Mintyy · 04/12/2013 19:02

No, it is a hopeless packed lunch and I would feel very sorry for the child. Roffling at all the mumsnetters determined to excuse it or make you feel bad for judging, op. Any sane person would be Hmm at that lunch.

volestair · 04/12/2013 19:03

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Mintyy · 04/12/2013 19:04

Agree with you AlwaysWashing. The "wind your neck in" posts are just so fucking tedious sometimes.

ExitPursuedByAChristmasGrinch · 04/12/2013 19:05

I was at school with a girl 40 years ago who ever day had sliced white bread, no butter, and beef paste. Every effing day.

Laurie - I presume you are joking about it being the Tories fault?

Mintyy · 04/12/2013 19:06

I think the worst lunch I have ever given my dc is plain hot chips from the chip shop, in a cone, to take away. When they were 10 and 8.

I have never managed worse than that and I am no sort of Annabel Karmel, believe me.

If the parents lives are in such turmoil that they can't do better than that for a packed lunch for nursery then they need to be helped.

SaucyJack · 04/12/2013 19:07

Of course it was a shit lunch.

But there may be a very good reason why the parents sent it in as a one off, so no need to ring SS just yet.

mistermakersgloopyglue · 04/12/2013 19:18

Why is there this blind refusal on Mumsnet to acknowledge that some parents will just feed their kids any old shit and just don't really care?

I would have judged (and have done so in similar situations actually).

volestair · 04/12/2013 19:20

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Gileswithachainsaw · 04/12/2013 19:22

Yuck. Surprised the kid wasn't sick with such a heavy lump of carbs and congealed grease.

Not something that resembles a lunch tbh.

BigBirthdayGloom · 04/12/2013 19:26

I absolutely agree there will be people who just don't care. But even then, I'm afraid I feel sad that someone is at that point and wish there were things to do to help. I don't actually believe people have a plan and intent to be like that. It's terribly sad.

I reiterate that it's a rubbish lunch, I'd still rather hope that it's a one off or that support will be provided rather than judge.

SaucyJack · 04/12/2013 19:31

Some parents do feed their kids any old shite mistermaker. I know plenty of them, and I certainly don't refuse to label them as such.

Bit much to label a parent as neglectful because you once saw their child with a shit lunch. For all you know the car broke down on the way to do the big shop last night and they could only get to the take-away for food. Especially as the OP clearly states they live in a village.

waltermittymissus · 04/12/2013 19:32

Ugh that's disgusting!

Can't think of any ''medical condition" that requires leftover, grease ridden, takeaway shite for lunch!

For a young child?

To take to nursery?

No, that's just a piece of shit parenting.

madmomma · 04/12/2013 19:33

gross YANBU

2Tinsellytocare · 04/12/2013 19:35

I think most people in real life would judge, hopefully the nursery are monitoring the situation

hazeyjane · 04/12/2013 19:38

I don't see a blind refusal to accept that there are people who don't care - just a reluctance to label someone as such based on a fleeting glimpse of their lives.

^^ this

What I don't like is the whole hands thrown into the air, 'cold chips!' 'Revolting' 'poor kid'. I'm sure people would look over at ds's packed lunch, do an eyeroll and hoist their bosoms.

harriet247 · 04/12/2013 19:39

Yanbu,it would make me feel sad too. Most nurseries send out pamphlets of whats ok/not ok now dont they?

Gileswithachainsaw · 04/12/2013 19:39

Just hope they managed to piece together something from left overs/staff lunches. That had to have made her sick

harriet247 · 04/12/2013 19:40

For lunch boxes I mean

bundaberg · 04/12/2013 19:44

it sounds, on the surface of it, like a totally inappropriate lunch for well, anyone! let alone a small child.

would I judge? no.
maybe the kid really, really, really likes it and asked for it and the parent saw no harm in it as a one off
I've known several autistic children with diets that are so limited that that is the kind of thing they would eat every.single.day (and no, no homemade wedges instead of shop chips because they would get refused for not being the same)

it's unlikely, i'll give you that. but that is what i would think

justtoomessy · 04/12/2013 19:44

god they probably only had that because the parents had had a big booze up the night before and hadn't bothered to make the packed lunch the precious night or had time to make one as they would have been too hungover in the morningGrin

BumPotato · 04/12/2013 19:45

If this is the case every day, then yes, judge away. There could be any number of reasons that this day, this was the lunch.

The top one I can think of is a useless childless uncle or aunt in charge while mum in hospital having new baby.

perlona · 04/12/2013 19:45

There are certain childcare/parenting standards that should be legally mandatory and feeding children properly is the bare minimum. Children need nutritious food to allow their brains and body to develop properly, I judge anyone who doesn't care enough to provide that.

Children who are deprived as a result of their parents choices need for society to become more judgmental.

yanbu.

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