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AIBU?

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Original poster

To think that packed lunch containing a cold happy meal could be due to poverty?

466 replies

blubberball · 29/03/2017 09:55

I saw on the news the other day, a story about school packed lunches. At one school, they looked in a child's lunchbox, and found a cold happy meal. People have obviously been angered by that, and are accusing the parents of being lazy. The first thought that came to my mind was that they couldn't afford to waste the food from the day before. I know that the particular primary school they looked at is in a very poor area. I just felt sorry for them.

OP posts:
MsPonder · 29/03/2017 13:46

Yes @sample1936...my DD loves cold nuggets for lunch too :)

On a typical school lunch my DD has a lunchables, a packet of skips, a handful of cashews, a fruit string, a kitkat and a bottle of squash!
She loves it so she eats it and guess what she's fit and healthy!

If I put a salad or carrot sticks or even a sandwich in her lunchbox, she won't eat it and so I'll worry about her not eating all day!

Couldn't give a shit what everyone makes of that!

If my DD is happy then so am I.

MadMags · 29/03/2017 13:48

MsPonder the school has no issue with that?

My dc's school is pretty hot on lunchbox random testing.

Don't you worry about the habits you're giving her? Or what you're teaching her about food?

Don't you worry about putting all that shite into her little body five days a week?

Kiroro · 29/03/2017 13:49

I was a struggling parent and would not have told the school anything because dd suffered enough taunts for living in a hoste

Bit of a silly attitude - if the school knew they could provide assistance and look out for your DD, especially in light of people taunting her.

Kiroro · 29/03/2017 13:50

On a typical school lunch my DD has a lunchables, a packet of skips, a handful of cashews, a fruit string, a kitkat and a bottle of squash!

LOL that someone on MN admitted to putting that shit in a lunchbox every day!

PortiaCastis · 29/03/2017 13:51

It was my attitude and my child

cowgirlsareforever · 29/03/2017 13:52

That's just a load of salty snacks MrsPonder not food! If your dd had that every day the chances are she's malnourished.

OlennasWimple · 29/03/2017 13:57

Not in the UK - my DC's school meal options are pizza, burger, chips... Very occasionally a burrito makes it onto the menu or once a month a lasagna... Otherwise it's all processed shit - the other parents look at me in disbelief if I tell them about Jamie Oliver's campaign in England...

Jaynesworld · 29/03/2017 13:57

I was a struggling parent and would not have told the school anything

Why wouldnt you try and get assistance?
If there was any chance that I could get my dc any additional support in a crap situation I would.

Iamyourmotheryours · 29/03/2017 13:58

What age are these kids? If they're year 5 or 6 surely some of those crappy lunches were packed by the kids themselves.

But yes, agree with those pp's who said you can't make judgment before knowing the whole picture. Is it always the same kids with crap lunches? Is it due to lack of time, energy, education, not caring? We don't know.

graciestocksfield · 29/03/2017 14:01

It speaks of a chaotic life to me, almost certainly poverty, but with more factors added.

MsPonder · 29/03/2017 14:03

haha she won't eat anything else, sometimes she'll eat cold pasta. She's never had problems with her teeth and she's very active so I really am not worried about it at all. I generally put in whatever she wants; as I said, as long as I know she's eating then I'm happy.

In fact when she has school dinners, more often that not she'll complain about them. Not so long ago there was no chicken in the chicken curry she had?? And she always moans that the rice is never cooked. Granted I think after a few complaints they have sorted the lunches out there now but that's no the point. (She's in a great school btw)

doubleshotespresso · 29/03/2017 14:05

If the kid will eat it what's the problem.
My son doesn't like sandwiches so he sometimes takes a cold hot dog in a bun for his lunch.

You are surely shitting me?

cowgirlsareforever · 29/03/2017 14:07

I think every child would ask for a bunch of snacks for their 'lunch' instead of actual food. Thankfully most parents have the sense not to pander to their children and recognise the fact that children function better after eating decent food.

Butteredparsnip1ps · 29/03/2017 14:08

Poverty? Clearly not, since a ham sandwich and an apple costs much less than a Happy Meal

But ignorance, laziness, couldn't give a shit, etc? Yes. I reckon any of those would fit. I give my DS1 a packed lunch every day and hell would freeze over before I gave him such a shitty, thoughtless, lazy, nutritionally poor lunch. Cold fried food? How disgusting. I can't think of a better way to illustrate to both him and the school that I don't give a shit. A cold Happy Meal for lunch really says it all

Waves to Katie Hopkins

MrsMackenzo · 29/03/2017 14:13

My kids have always taken school dinners, just because me and DH both work full-time so it's more convienient, but DD2 (8) is an extremely fussy eater and so she's the only one who gets packed lunches otherwise she just won't eat.

Jaynes there are many reasons you wouldn't get support if eligible - the shame and stigma attached may be one, the feeling that 'others have it worse' another. Plus as I already mentioned - some parents lack the basic literacy skills needed to read and fill out claimant forms.

noeffingidea · 29/03/2017 14:16

butteredparsnips don't think so. You don't have to be Katie Hopkins to think sending a kid in with a cold happy meal is a shit thing to do.
Making a normal packed lunch or paying less than the price of a happy meal for a school dinner. Such a low bar to set for parenting.

PortiaCastis · 29/03/2017 14:19

I haven't a problem with literacy but I do have a problem with stigma bullying and name calling. As I said dd was tormented because we had to live in a hostel temporarily and a nasty bitch told everyone.
I was in the hostel because I LTB and had nowhere to go. Funny how I got looked down on when he was the violent abusive one.

OhGood · 29/03/2017 14:20

I have just read the other trending packed lunch thread. Really, this has been an excellent day for packed lunch threads.

schoolofconfusion · 29/03/2017 14:25

'CrazyDuchess

I thought the school lunches were cheaper than happy meal? Surely if the family was that poor than they'd be entitled to free school lunches'

There are plenty of very low income working families who are really really struggling but don't qualify for free meals. :(

MrsMackenzo · 29/03/2017 14:27

Portia This is the kind of thing I'm getting at. Really sorry you had to go through that Flowers

noeffingidea · 29/03/2017 14:27

Ohgood lol, I know. And this is the same forum where some people freak at the thoughts of their kids being given a small can of diet coke at a party. I wonder if any of them are the same posters?

ALittleMop · 29/03/2017 14:29

So much lack of empathy on this thread from folks in leafy suburbs who have NO CLUE about what food poverty means.

I hate that this has become the emblem of fecklessness.

PortiaCastis · 29/03/2017 14:34

Thanks MrsMac we're in a better place now and dd is doing A levels with has good predicted grades

PortiaCastis · 29/03/2017 14:35

*Sorry that should be and has good predicted grades

noeffingidea · 29/03/2017 14:38

Alittlemop perhaps you should try rereading some of the posts? There's plenty of us on here with experience of genuine poverty. I'm one of them, I have used foodbanks, skipped meals so my kids could eat, grew up in a very poor home where my poor Mum was skin and bone because she often didn't have enough to eat.
Nah, sorry. Still can't emphasize with a parent sending a cold happy meal into school. Yes, granted it may have been a one off exceptional circumstances, etc. The chances are that it wasn't though.