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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

party bags at school

41 replies

maisym · 02/03/2007 22:27

Today was cleaning teeth and healthy eating day at pre school & my dd3 had to take in a wash bag with toothbrush & paste plus a healthy snack.

She comes home with a sweet filled party bag (half gone) as there was a birthday in the class. The parents had made party bags for all in the class and they'd been handed out to the children.

It was also healthy day at school & my dd3 had taken some yogurt in - but instead no one had anything healthy just choc cake for the birthday. Her yogurt had to go in the bin as it had been in the warmth all day.

I just hate it that little kids are given bags filled with sweets & parents not asked - even more so that is was healthy eating day - ahhhh!!!

OP posts:
Original poster
maisym · 02/03/2007 22:32

the sweets are the rubbish sweets that are full of additives and junk - so annoyed.

OP posts:
Original poster
maisym · 02/03/2007 22:37

perhaps it's only me getting worked up!!!!

Will talk to the school on this though

OP posts:
chacha3 · 02/03/2007 22:39

i csn understand where your coming from hun! but it dont happen all the time does it?

bandstand · 02/03/2007 22:41

sounds a bit over generous, a lolly pop here usually suffices

Original poster
maisym · 02/03/2007 22:45

luckily not with every birthday but it'll will increase as other parents will have to do more than the others. I wont be giving any sweets out

Wouldn't have minded a lolly or just one thing. My dd had been munching sweets all afternoon.

I just couldn't believe the junk though - how the teachers could have just handed this out?

OP posts:
hana · 02/03/2007 22:47

so glad this this isn't done at dd's school

twinsetandpearls · 02/03/2007 22:54

I think you are over reacting, not an everyday event.

thelittleElf · 02/03/2007 22:57

Personally, given that this was a healthy eating day, the timing was a bit out. But i guess the child still needed to have their birthday recognised!
Like others have said not an everyday event but i can understand your frustration.

Original poster
maisym · 02/03/2007 22:58

probably right - hope it doesn't happen again.

OP posts:
Original poster
maisym · 02/03/2007 22:58

feel better for venting here!!!

OP posts:
Original poster
maisym · 02/03/2007 22:59

plus your calming words

OP posts:
thelittleElf · 02/03/2007 23:07

You're welcome

Loshad · 02/03/2007 23:13

they shouldn't have been given the stuff until hometime though - our school gives stuff like that to the children as they leasve the classroom so you then choose to remove/restrict it's consumption.

twinsetandpearls · 02/03/2007 23:16

True Loshad i always take out the blowrs and whistles!

2shoes · 02/03/2007 23:18

can't see the problem as a once in a while thing.

ellceeell · 03/03/2007 10:10

Our school has written to parents saying no party bags or cakes on birthdays, one sweet per child is fine. Most parents are going along with this happily. Some have complained bitterly.

Original poster
maisym · 03/03/2007 10:14

ellce - do you mean they want to give sweets & cake or that they want it stopped completely?

OP posts:
newlifenewname · 03/03/2007 10:19

When my children had birthdays in France their French school tradition was to bring bought cake in to share at break time.

It was never an 'issue' here. I really detest the British healthy eating nannying... The French seem to have a little of what they fancy and afaik have less of an obesity problem. They also received school meals that could realistically pass as good food.. No fuss, no over stipulation, no problem.

DimpledThighs · 03/03/2007 10:22

well I don't send anything in for birthdays but if you want to what can you send it that is healthy to share out? Blueberries?

Ali5 · 03/03/2007 10:25

We had this dilemma at our school. We figured with 30 children in the class you're looking on average at sweets/choc things being handed out almost every week. As part of our Healthy Eating theme we asked parents what they thought and many said they'd be relieved not to have send stuff in on their child's birthday! We took the step of saying if parents wanted to send a token in for their child's class it should be healthy (or not food at all) but we would always make a fuss of the child anyway on their special day. Think your school is being a bit hypocritical and giving out mixed messages! Might be worth having a word with some other parents and see what they thought and then having a quiet word in the teacher's ear.

Blandmum · 03/03/2007 10:28

I don't think it is a good idea to hand out party bags in school. If you must then they should be given out at the very end of the day.

The last thing kids need in school time is loads of sugar and E numbers.

No-one does this at my kids school.

Party bags are given out at the end of the party.

newlifenewname · 03/03/2007 10:32

I love blueberries but have you noticed the price difference between that and a slice of battenburg? A good example of healthy as the unaffordable choice.

Jammie dodgers, bar of choc, vile lollies, all cheaper than a small tub of blueberries.

Very, very wrong....

Original poster
maisym · 03/03/2007 10:32

can see both sides (thanks to mumsnetters for this)

what gets me was that it was healthy eating day & it was all stopped to have cake & sweets. Everything in moderation is fine - could have been a carrot cake (just as rich as choc) but at least different to the choc, sweet junk handed out to the little kids.

OP posts:
newlifenewname · 03/03/2007 10:36

I get what you are saying but... (and this bit is a general comment not directed towards you - you just made me think of it)...

What is it with the virtuosity of carrot cake? Cake is cake! obv. it is healthier if made of carrot and not choc but fgs! this gets to be almost, ummm....pious. Spelt pie-ous.

I'm off for a plastic hob nob from the homecorner...

Blandmum · 03/03/2007 10:43

at the risk of being branded a real sour puss and grumpy face over this , why send anything in?

Isn't this all part of the relntless over inflating of birthdays that we seem to be doing atm.

When I were a nipper, back in the Dark Ages, you wnet to a party in someones house, ran round, played pass the parcel and came home with a bit of birthday cake in a napkin, and thought that you had died and gone to heaven.

then came the party bag, then came parties at play zone, and entertainers. Now I read that people are sending stuff into school, I assume as well as the party, more party bags etc etc.

Am I alone in thinking that this is all rather OTT? where will it all end?

I don't think anyone should send anthing into school on the day, be it sweets of home ground wheatmeal fibre bars! Don't kids already have enough, and to be blunt, don't we all have better things to do with our time than to shop for more junk?

Disgusted Martianbishop

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