Water in primary school

[magickingdom82]

All the children at our primary school are supposed to bring a bottle with water only to drink throughout the day. Bottles are apparently checked. However I know a tonne of parents who send their kids in with flavoured juices because their kid won't drink water but AIBU to think it isn't fair on those that do send water in. As long as the majority of parents send in water they get away with sending juice...

The "my child won't drink water" parents tend to start young. I remember DS being at nursery at 12 months+ and having a cup of "juice". When I picked them up on it, as he only had water / milk at home, the nursery nurse sais that they get so many children starting nursery who've had squash at home they have to call water "juice" to get them to drink it but never actually served anything other than water and milk.

@cloudyweewee
We have a rule of water only.

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I bet this will be one of those where a child says “but everyone else has juice” when in reality it’s one of two with reason to do so.

But its not 'unfair' on him that his parent is able to discipline him into drinking water and so he is getting the much healthier option and following the school rule. Its your job to parent your children not anybody elses, how they chose to parent theirs is not 'unfair' on him.
That view comes across as quite spoilt tbh, I wouldnt put up with any of my DC comming home and saying 'its not fair' because Josh has orange juice in his water bottle

Ok not unfair on him but it's unfair to set a rule and some can stick to it and some can't

As parents we should all abide by the school rules - whether we like them or not, surely?

Or have I got this all wrong?

Is it? I’m pretty sure there are considerably more nutrients in, say, orange juice?

Do you know how much sugar there is in orange juice? Even pure, freshly squeezed orange juice? If I were to replace all of my drinks throughout the day with orange juice, the comparative sugar attack, plaque build up, tooth decay with water would be obscene.

I'm a teacher. We have the same rule at school. I drink water throughout the day to practise what I preach. (I'm a shit host - when people come over, I can literally only offer them water or wine).
As PP have said, water is better both for children's teeth, and doesn't create a sticky mess when bottles inevitably leak.

I've had parents telling me for years that their children don't drink water. In all of my years of teaching, I've never failed to encourage these children to drink water and plenty of it. I'm sure there are children with severe SEN who genuinely can't be persuaded, but in my personal experience, children who are thirsty will drink what is on offer.

For me, it is a battle worth fighting. Dental work is so expensive and you only get one set of teeth. My dentist told me that it is the drinks we ingest that are the main culprit for tooth decay, and if I can make a small difference to the children that I teach in this way, then it's worth it.

They police lunch box contents, so is one kid allowed to bring a sausage roll and another not...no, they all get policed the same. So why not with the drinks?

Out school just empties juice out and sends out another txt about water. Juice creates sticky mess

As parents we should all abide by the school rules - whether we like them or not, surely?

Yes so do that, why are you even interested in what other parents are doing with their kids?
If your son comes home whinging that 'its not fair' just tell him it dosnt matter what anybody else is doing and that you are not X's parent you are his. Or just send him with juice if you want.

So if I send him with juice on Monday, do also send him in white trainers because he'd prefer not to wear his black school shoes or send him in his favourite superhero top because he doesn't like the school sweater

If you want or you could be a good parent and support him in following the rules.

Of course people should abide by the rule. But if your DC likes water, just put it down to one of those things.

Kids who don't have sensory issues have learned "not to like" water by being given other things. They're stating a preference.

I didn't want my DC to have juice until much older, as I don't think either all that sugar on her teeth or artificial sweeteners are good for young children. but thanks to grandma in the she now knows what a fruit shoot is, and yes she will beg for "apple juice" all the time. She gets given water, and she drinks it, after a bit of a fuss sometimes.

AIBU to think it isn't fair on those that do send water in

I think that's a really odd way to think tbh, in terms of 'fairness'...why would you care?

My dc 'moan' all the time in a good-natured/pretend way about how they're the only kids in the whoooole school who have salad sticks, brown bread and water includes in their lunch boxes. A couple of times a week I'm told that Lewis takes cold chicken nuggets and a mars bar every day and James's parents let him take coke and Olivia's mum puts a tub of haribo in.

So what...my choices for my dc are better (I don't care if that sounds snobbish...they are when compared to coke and haribo). I've talked about nutrition loads with the dc and they know (in basic terms) that foods/drinks like salad and water will make you strong and fit and too much chocolate and coke will rot your teeth and make you fat and slow.

I ask them sometimes if they'd like to take coke and a mars bar everyday and possibly end up fat and slow with black teeth...and they easily accept that that wouldn't be great.

What exactly is 'unfair' about you providing a superior drink to other parents? Let the others send in liquidised candy floss if they like, it doesn't affect you.

Is isn't FAIR because the majority of us are carrying those that can't be bothered.

I'm not even comparing water to juice in terms of nutrition - some kids take flavoured waters and no sugar squash and I've no idea if those are bad or not for you, my point is the rule says water only, so why isn't everyone sticking to it. They don't have to because the majority of us ARE

Op have you actually seen the contents of all these childrens water bottles and seen the teachers allow them to keep the juice?
Or are you just going by a primary school aged childs suggestion that its 'not fair' because 'everybody else has juice' or he is 'the only one who takes in water'?

How do you know what they are taking?

Stop being a dick about it. It’s parents like you that make having adjustments put in at school a fucking nightmare because ‘it’s not fair’.

Life would be much easier if water didn’t taste like shit to some kids with sensory processing difficulties. And yes, they will rather drink nothing and end in hospital rather than drink water.

The whole world is unfair to kids with NT disabilities so let them have the fucking squash or flavoured water without complaining.

Of course it seems unfair to a child. It's like the school saying you can all bring in a piece of fruit tomorrow as a snack.

So we send our children with an apple. But then there's 3 or 4 children sat there woofing a mars bar because 'they won't eat fruit'.

Of course my child will be healthier but at 5 he hardly gives a shit about that. All he sees is 'those' children get a delicious choccie bar because they'll 'die from hunger' otherwise because they won't eat fruit. And their parents would rather they ate something than nothing at all.

News flash. If your child was hungry they would eat fruit!

Same applies to water.

So yes, it IS unfair on the children who follow the rules.

How are you carrying anyone? You've decided to do what the school ask of you and what's best for your child. Really, some people break the rules. Most of us break a rule from time to time, even me and I'm a proper stickler for a rule usually.

I can't get upset at others breaking a rule that has no effect on me whatsoever though.

As for not fair, it's trite but life isn't. You have to learn not to care about that or life is incredibly hard. Juice seems a painless place to start learning.

"Rather depends if you think the “developed world” doesn’t ever get hot, or that children there never exert themselves.hmm"
Even if it does or even if they do, they still don't get dehydrated between breakfast and brea

Why do primary schools insist on making decisions which parents should be making for themselves.
Surely they have enough to do...

OP I completely agree. Not following simple rules is annoying!

If they won't drink water it's a clear reflection of weak parenting.

Sorry not sorry

My personal view is that this rule is entirely about avoiding sticky spillages and a perfectly sensible one at that. I'd also like to think teachers have more useful things to do than a daily sniff of 30 water bottles.

There are loads of rules that on the whole we're just expected to follow. Some people get away with breaking them until (sometimes) they're caught out by a spot check or a culmination of circumstances bringing something to the attention of the authorities. Others seemingly get away with it forever. I prefer to be on the law abiding side, but unless it's harming me I don't worry too much about the rest.

My DD1 will refuse water under any circumstances - her lips are dry, cracked, sore and she is irritable and pale and dehydrated after a day at school where she isn’t allowed anything to drink except water. She’s Year 5 and nearly 10 and has SEN. I stick to the rules - but my daughter’s wellbeing is suffering for it.