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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Junk food obsessed PTA?

82 replies

GirlofInkandStars · 10/03/2021 21:55

My DCs school PTA is obsessed with junk food fundraisers. I know things are limited in lock down but it has always been like this.

Jars of sweets, cones of sweets, massive boxes of donuts at the end of term. And now contributions for an Easter egg for each child.

I struggle with my DDs teeth. Other DCs in her class clearly have issues with weight. I know others who have specific dietary requirements.

The school is supposed to be a healthy eating school and polices lunchboxes... but apparently this doesn’t apply to the PTA?

AIBU to think this is not on it am I just a grumpy old party pooper?

OP posts:
Porridgeoat · 10/03/2021 22:00

Can your child forgo a treat given another day to balance it out? You can explain this to your child.

Ours is junk mad too and I write it off as a rare event or skip the activity altogether if it’s purely junk food a fund raiser with nothing interesting going on

DebbieGetsTheJobDone · 10/03/2021 22:07

Are you in the PTA?

Are you suggesting alternatives?

It's rare that each parent has to buy every single item for sale, and 1 easter egg is not going to hurt anyone.

rosiejaune · 11/03/2021 00:09

YANBU. It may only be "one Easter egg" (though it's likely they will get others from relatives etc), but what school does (whether that's in the canteen or the PTA) is an important part of a child's food environment, which will influence them long-term.

JingsMahBucket · 11/03/2021 00:12

YANBU. That’s teaching horrible eating habits.

MiddlesexGirl · 11/03/2021 00:13

Oh this brings back memories of my DC's primary days. Sometimes the sweet sales were every week and very hard to avoid.
At least at secondary school it's more like a once a half term doughnut sale.

UhtredRagnarson · 11/03/2021 00:17

YANBU my DC primary PTA was the same and before anyone snarks about what alternatives I suggested you were on a hiding to nothing with this PTA. It was a clique of bullies and nobody got a say except them. They ran the show and nobody was allowed to say a word against them. It was constant. It felt like every single week they were selling sweets and chocolate round the classrooms to the DC. As well as the parties and discord and their sweetie stall at every single school event.

UhtredRagnarson · 11/03/2021 00:19

Can your child forgo a treat given another day to balance it out? You can explain this to your child.

More difficult when the rest of the family are all having theirs but little Johnny can’t have one because he had a creme egg in school.

cabbageking · 11/03/2021 00:19

It doesn't cover PTA fundraisers because parents have the option to buy or not.

MiddlesexGirl · 11/03/2021 00:21

@UhtredRagnarson

Can your child forgo a treat given another day to balance it out? You can explain this to your child.

More difficult when the rest of the family are all having theirs but little Johnny can’t have one because he had a creme egg in school.

And I'd far rather the kids had the treats that I have got for them than junky candy filled with e-numbers and tasting of cardboard.
Justajot · 11/03/2021 00:26

Ours has bake sales after school and snacks at things like discos - these are very much optional events. But nothing during the school day - I think that wouldn't fit with the school's stance on healthy eating. Is the headteacher really onboard with all of this?

cabbageking · 11/03/2021 00:47

They can't sell theses items within the school day. End of day is fine but not in the school day.

BlackberrySky · 11/03/2021 02:45

At our school, the PTA is very much governed by the decisions of the head teacher, ie the head has to approve all fundraising activities. I would direct your disapproval to her/him rather than the PTA.

GreenSlide · 11/03/2021 02:56

YANBU mostly, I'm relaxed about junk food but school is supposed to be a junk food and TV free zone. Having said that I think making sure every child has an Easter egg is quite a nice thing to do.

DebbieGetsTheJobDone · 11/03/2021 09:30

And yet no one has offered any suggestion of alternative fundraisers...

justanotherneighinparadise · 11/03/2021 09:33

I just don’t buy any of that stuff for my children. I find it pretty easy to avoid. We don’t go to the cake sales and f there are comes of sweets at the end of school functions (pre covid! I didn’t buy them. Both my children understand that I am very mindful of their teeth and shit diets generally. They don’t seem to particularly moan 🤷‍♀️

MiddlesexGirl · 11/03/2021 09:34

All the other stuff that PTAs do. Discos, fairs, film showings, sponsored events, maybe throw in some healthy food related things. They really should not be promoting unhealthy options.

VikingNorthUtsire · 11/03/2021 09:34

PTAs tend to do these because they're cheap, easy, hygienic and popular.

Unless your PTA are genuinely disfunctional then I'd say if you don't like it, suggest a workable alternative. And ideally volunteer a few hours of your time to make it happen.

MiddlesexGirl · 11/03/2021 09:35

Our PTA used to set up their stall at the school gate. It was impossible to avoid. Yes, you can do the mean mum and I did on many occasions. I'd prefer not to be put in that position in the first place.

RootyT00t · 11/03/2021 09:35

'clearly have issues with weight 'ouch

TeenMinusTests · 11/03/2021 09:36

They do it as a 'quick win'.
They are easy to organise, low risk and good mark-up.

You don't have to buy every time (or at all).
Feel free to send in donation-in-lieu if you want, or offer to run another fundraising activity.

MiddlesexGirl · 11/03/2021 09:36

I was the PTA treasurer for a few years so I volunteered plenty of time. That doesn't mean I have to agree with everything they do.

sherrystrull · 11/03/2021 09:38

I'm on the PTA. There are 6 of us. There's nearly 1000 pupils in the school.

Someone complained about a bake sale at on our our fairs. Three of the members were very upset at the complaint as this person hadn't offered to help, just sought to criticise.

They all resigned. We now don't have fairs.

I think if you're offering to help and suggest alternatives then go for it. If you're criticising people who are volunteering for free and trying to raise money for the school then it's best not to say anything.

Ilovemaisie · 11/03/2021 09:41

The cake sales at my girls primary school (mostly shop bought donuts and cupcakes) made about £200 each time (1 sale each half term so 6 in total).
So over £1000 each year to spend on nice extras for the kids.
You could just buy the smallest cake 6 times a year for your kid. I think they would survive that.

DebbieGetsTheJobDone · 11/03/2021 09:42

Parents who are unable to say no to their children and have such a ridiculous and unhealthy attitude to food are a worry.

If you raise your children properly and feed them right, no one will suffer because there's a bag of sweet for sale at school. No need to stuff your face, present the sweets as an evil treat..

and more importantly, suggest alternatives.

MacDuffsMuff · 11/03/2021 09:43

Well on the face of it YANBU

But you could argue that these are not exactly every day events. When mine were younger I didn't mind them having a cone of sweets at an event or a doughnut at the end of term because they ate pretty healthily at home any and wouldn't have something like that every day.

Parents of children who eat unhealthily most of the time will continue to feed them crap anyway, unfortunately. If the don't buy it from one of the PTA events every half term, they'll just buy it somewhere else.

Are you part of the PTA? Could you raise this with them?