To cancel the traditional sugar fest at Brownies.

[SoddingSoda]

I started volunteering at a Brownie unit around a year ago after moving back to the area. I absolutely love the girls and how enthusiastic they are, and also the other fellow leader/parent helpers are fantastic. In the summer term I took over the unit as the leader in charge stepped down due to family commitments but still continues to attend most weeks.

Last year when I joined the end of term party went a little like this:
-Girls came in with their contribution to the party food. Someone passed me a bottle of cherryade (I honestly thought they stopped making this stuff in the 90s!!) and I hid it under the table. Then another parent came in with another two bottles of pop.

i made the food into a spread and the girls helped themselves. But the pop was still hidden as I honestly thought that kids didn't drink that stuff/parents wouldn't be too impressed if I poured it out. I must admit I felt uncomfortable serving it when the leader asked what had happened to it (I did ask each child if they were allowed to drink it at home before giving them a glass).

The girls had piles of party rings, jammy dodgers, sweets, watits, skips with one of those nasty tinned dog dogs etc all washed down with a cup of cherryade and coke.

Que absolute mayhem, imagine an American Black Friday sale. Girls not listening to instructions, running around, back chatting, being nasty to each other, not just having fun but being absolute nightmares. An hour later the girls are whining, getting hurt (not listening and messing around), crying for no real reason (struggling with the craft cause two to burst into tears) and just having a total come down. It. Was. Hell.

Now, not wanting to go into detail the other leader's daughter is the worst behaved and her ADHD is easily aggravated by junky food. If it was any other girl at brownies i would have called her parents to pick her up as a) I don't want to be held responsible b) gets aggressive with the others c) is just a plain nightmare. On most nights she can be kept engaged with 'being the helper' but after tonn loads of junk it's impossible but so are most of the other kids. See this is the problem if I write a nice little letter asking the parents to only send party food with the first three ingredients being 'natural' and no fizzy/artificial colours the other leader just doesn't get it. I don't want to be the leader who comes from out of town and kills the 60 year tradition but I just don't agree of giving kids pure shit. I wouldn't eat that stuff, nor let my kids eat it so why would I let other kids in my care eat it. It's a small village, and it seems that not much has changed in the last 100 years. So in my opinion nothing will unless small changes are made for the next generation. I guess I've answer my own AIBU but if I am being AIBU please be nice haha.

I see your concern but suggest that you ask all parents for a contribution of a couple of pounds and buy the spread yourself.

But this comment "as I honestly thought that kids didn't drink that stuff" is silly as why would people BRING it if kids didn't drink it?

Just say no drink , food only thanks.

Well.....food can also have horrible amounts of sugar in it DC.

Most children don't drink cherryade and Coke CheapSausages.

Can you not provide a few healthier options then, to cater to your child? Although I can pretty much guarantee the kids want to eat the crap- they always do. If you’re worried about the fizzy drinks, ask the parents in advance if they are ok with it. Kids love party food. I don’t believe in any correlation between sugar and excited kids, for the majority of kids- they are feral because they are having a ball with a group of other kids and getting overexcited, IMHO and experience. You can add some fruit platters if it makes it more palatable to you- but I’d accept that the other stuff needs to stay as well, at least in part

Who supplies the food? It wouldn’t take much to turn the sugar fest into a more reasonable buffet of pastry food with some sandwiches, hot dogs, a quiche, pizza. Then have cake, biscuits and other sweet things after. Would that work? If you took sandwiches along I’m sure they’d get eaten.

The last party sounds like it was pretty awful for all concerned. It’s sensible to look at small changes to make this one a bit more fun and less manic.

See I wouldn’t be impressed if my daughter was given fizzy drink full stop.

Our Brownie unit brings any stuff in.

(If funding is an issue, do you claim Gift Aid? You can do so via GG charity number(assuming you are in England))

Play party games all meeting, then eat right at the end before pickup - they are then quiet and engaged, sitting chatting and eating biscuits when the parents show up, which looks good, they don't have time to eat as much, and the sugar crash comes once they are safely at home in bed!

Either

• ask for a contribution of £x and buy the spread yourself

Or -assign an item to each Brownie. So assuming 20 girls, Ellie brings 20 multipack of crisps, Sophie brings in sausage rolls, Milly brings in 1 bottle of squash etc

I do rainbows. We do our own party food which usually is just sandwiches, crisps and a cake/biscuit. Mainly to avoid waste and partly as a lot are fed at home. We also do food towards the end, so games etc first then food. Often part of our party is preparing party food so we'll decorate biscuits or the girls make their sandwiches.

Could you put up a sign up sheet with mixture of sweet and savoury foods, sugary and healthy foods. Then ask parents to sign up for one item each.

I'm a primary school teacher and that's what we do at Christmas. We also put out the plates of fruit and savoury treats first before bringing out the sweet stuff. The children still have loads more sugary junk than you would usually want them to eat, but they also have plenty of real food as well and we don't have any behaviour problems.

sugar does not cause hyperactivity

I agree yanbu. But do as others suggest and either ask for money and buy the food you choose or make a specific list and ask mums to choose which of the items they want to provide.

It’s good to help encourage young people to make healthier choices. And that fits in with doing your best (to be healthy) etc. 👍🏻

planning planning planning is key
my brownie experience is evening meetings so most would have eaten at home prior to.
fun and games first, nibbles, and out the door with a cup cake in hand.
if you are meeting somewhere without access to a mop, have water only available ;)

I'm a brownie leader too (just started in September, so still finding my feet a bit). We're having a party on the last week before Christmas and we'll be bringing the food ourselves. We'll do big jugs of squash as the drinks, sausage rolls, pizza, some crisps and a mini muffin each.

Our plan is to do party games for an hour, then bring the food out near the end so those who get hyped up on sugar will go home reasonably quickly after that.

I would factor the cost into the calculation when you’re working out what subs to ask for next year, and buy the food and drink yourself. It’s much easier, and parents think they’re getting a free party!

I agree with the suggestion to have the party food as the last activity before going home. Then the cherry cola buyers can enjoy the consequences themselves!

I think you need to get the fuck over yourself.

Bloody hell, chill a bit, it's a kid's party! I don't buy stuff like cherryade for mine to drink, but at a party I really can't see the harm as it's not like it's every day.
Surely that's what kids parties are - a chance for them to eat party rings/fairy cakes etc to their heart's content!
As long as it's not every day, I'd unclench over the occasional party.
Also, the fact that people have brought cherryade etc, means that they must still drink it and want it at the party, it's very rude of you to just hide it and not serve it as you don't think it's suitable!

Jaime the problem with assigning food items is some people just can't afford it.

Brownies is a cheap activity and one of the few things low income families can participate in.

Better to either have a fundraising activity one night for the party or to ask for a contribution of money.

God I miss full sugar cherryade, all the stuff I’ve bought recently is no added sugar so gives a nasty aftertaste

I don't know much about Brownies, it's a long time since I was one, but can you incorporate the end of term feast into earning a 'Healthy eating badge' or whatever? Maybe make soothies with the children as an activity and they can choose between that or water, and have them help come up with healthy recipes for a couple of weeks before hand and make them at home to bring in or with you on the day?

Isn't the point of a party that you get to have fun, and eat delicious junk food of no nutritional value whatsoever? It's a party! It's not real-life, everyday food.

I think if you want to take it upon yourself to dial down the fun, you should talk to parents first. Maybe they feel similarly to you, and will support your changes. Maybe, like me, they will think you are a bit of a killjoy. In any case, I would try to chill out a bit about what other people eat, and also try to reduce anxiety about 'unhealthy' food. In reality, the odd bit of junk on a special occasion does no harm. Approaching life in an overly anxious and restrictive manner, will be harmful to mental health, however.

You may also wish to be aware that recent research has concluded that sugar does not cause hyperactivity.

Thank you for all your suggestions. I've always been worried about allocating party nibbles due to working out cost I.E Ellie bringing cheese pizza for 15 girls would cost more than Mia bringing a couple of packets of biscuits.

If we weren't going on a (heavily subsidised) trip this term I would just provide the food out of subs. But giving the girls a cupcake on the way out of the door sounds like a great idea. That one is certainly noted!!