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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:
DebbieGetsTheJobDone · 11/03/2021 14:02

You don't get obese because you buy sweets at school once a week.

I would't buy them to my own kids, but still.

toocold54 · 11/03/2021 14:20

It's awful how Easter eggs are forced onto young children.
I am quite happy to take mine to Tesco's to have a look at them, but no way will I buy them one, no matter how much they plead and cry, however I do let them have a free choice in the veg isle.

They'll thank me in the long run when they have decay free teeth in later life

You give them free choice in the veg isle! Have you not heard of the dangers of veg!

ODFOx · 11/03/2021 15:02

I'm from the North so this may seem odd, but when I was at primary school we made pace eggs and then on Easter Monday there was a school event with egg decoration competition, egg rolling, a few stalls and bits. It was all about Easter and eggs but not chocolate?

It was only an hour or two rather than a whole day. My Mum still has the clay eggcup I made for her on a stall at Pace Day.
Does no one do PaceDay any more with school? It was fun: whose egg would make it to the bottom without cracking to win a prize!

mummywantstobeslim · 11/03/2021 15:03

You don't have to buy any of the junk they are selling. I never do.

HeyDemonsItsYaGirl · 11/03/2021 15:47

however I do let them have a free choice in the veg isle

I'm sorry, you what? Have you seen how much sugar is in a carrot? They might as well be called Big Orange Stumps of Tooth Cavities and Childhood Obesity, and don't get me started on potatoes.

Movedtothedge · 11/03/2021 16:21

I joined our PTA last year and the only food sales we do is ice creams on a Friday when the weather is warm. It’s lazy fundraising if the only thing you can think of is constantly offering junk food to families.

MiddlesexGirl · 11/03/2021 18:44

Where did I say my children have dental issues? Quick answer - I didn't.
What I'm saying is it was a pain being the mean mum. And not a good example to set when there's all the healthy eating plastered all over the school.
Fortunately it wasn't always weekly but there were periods when it was. Probably until stock was used up.
Apparently you do get obese when you add crappy sweets once a week to any other intake judging by the queues at the sweet tables.
So glad it is all in the past so I can just have a little reminisce here and not get too worked up about it.

MacDuffsMuff · 12/03/2021 07:13

@MiddlesexGirl your post of 09.45 yesterday read like you were the OP. I thought you were the OP with a name change (that's why I asked if you were). Both I and another poster thought you were the OP.

MiddlesexGirl · 13/03/2021 07:48

Really?! Oh OK. I'm not the OP though. My kids were at primary school a while back. I was just empathising (strongly!) as it was very tiresome at the time.

Justcashnosweets · 13/03/2021 07:57

@VeganVeal yes, good luck with that! Hmm

YukoandHiro · 13/03/2021 08:00

I bloody loathe this - my dd has severe allergies so when she starts school in September I'm going to have to come up with some dumb alternative to every single one of these to stop her feeling upset and left out. Ffs.

Tarararara · 13/03/2021 08:11

Our PTA used to do these stalls on the gate out of school, but has now switched to a classroom. That way, parents who don't want to buy (either for health, or just as importantly, affordability) can avoid the whole event and not be pestered by their children. Is that a compromise you can suggest for the routine stalls? I think the Easter Egg idea is a nice one though.

coldnwindy · 13/03/2021 08:23

I always find the people that have the problem are the ones with the unhealthy attitude towards food. How about you teach your children that they can I fact have anything! Have a cake, not 6. Have some sweets, not a whole bag. Have a packet of crisps,1. The more you restrict, police, control it now, the more they will ultimately rebel. Teach good habits, not strict control. If the cake sale is every week then say no if you want to for a week. I don't see the deal at all. Schools struggle, it's easy money making and everyone enjoys it.

Original poster
GirlofInkandStars · 13/03/2021 21:17

Have a cake, not 6. Have some sweets, not a whole bag. Have a packet of crisps,1

This would be ok if they didn’t sell the donuts only in packs of 12!

OP posts:
coldnwindy · 13/03/2021 22:02

@GirlofInkandStars

Have a cake, not 6. Have some sweets, not a whole bag. Have a packet of crisps,1

This would be ok if they didn’t sell the donuts only in packs of 12!

Well that's just silly! Who needs 12!
MiddlesexGirl · 14/03/2021 00:34

No unhealthy attitudes here.
My dc are pretty much grown up now and don't seem much into sweets. They do like crisps and pizzas and other junky stuff but they eat them in moderation.

Looks like my refusal to buy them sweets every week didn't impact too badly.

MacDuffsMuff · 14/03/2021 07:11

This would be ok if they didn’t sell the donuts only in packs of 12!

Selling them in bags of 12 is ridiculous, granted, but come on OP it doesn't mean that you have to a) buy them every time b) buy them at all c) give her more than one if you do choose to buy then.

So much pandering to young children these days. You're in charge.

beyondtheshoe · 14/03/2021 08:34

This would be ok if they didn’t sell the donuts only in packs of 12!

you don't have to EAT 12, you can share with others Hmm

You can also volunteer, and open each box of 12 they arrive in, and bag all the donuts individually and then SELL them individually.

And deal with the possible leftovers.

Original poster
GirlofInkandStars · 14/03/2021 08:36

Who said I buy them? I guess I am just fed up of having to be the mean mum.

I just don’t think they have thought the Easter egg thing through. Yes they say the are providing a dairy free alternative to kids with allergies. But there are lots of kids who have other dietary issues which won’t be considered. My friends DS with eczema who can only have a small amount of chocolate- she would rather get him something nice herself than have his whole ration used up by whatever the PTA give away. Yes I’m sure she could just get him a toy or a book but it just makes the whole thing harder than it needs to be.

I’d like to be able to support the PTA activities.

OP posts:
beyondtheshoe · 14/03/2021 08:43

It's a miracle that there are any PTA left frankly.
Whatever people do, giving away their time to try to do something they get criticised and it's never good enough.

Join, become the "allergy officer" from the PTA, take note of every single exception in the school, source and buy an alternative within budget.

And deal with the moans about your chosen alternatives Grin

RaspberryCoulis · 14/03/2021 09:01

As someone who has served more years than I care to remember on various PTAs and fundraising activities, there is ALWAYS someone like the OP who is the eternal critic.

Music at the disco is too loud. Why is the summer fayre on a Saturday when it could be after school. Face painting is unhygenic. No petting zoo at an event as their child is scared of animals. They don't approve of the message printed inside the Christmas Cards. Their child's drawing didn't have a prominent position on the tea towels.

Endless drone of criticism from people who won't get involved. Too busy, no childcare, PTA too cliquey, not interested.... Although most PTAs are desperate for volunteers.

I couldn't get worked up about an annual Easter Egg or doughnuts at the end of term. Easy to organise and obviously profitable. Feel free to volunteer to organise a healthy snack stall, or put your effort into organising some other sort of non-food related event.

But OP won't, because it'll be all excuses and anway, it's so much easier just to stand on the sidelines and bitch about the people who are trying to raise cash for everyone's children.

MargosKaftan · 14/03/2021 09:23

I dont think many people realise the scale of the gap in funding this year has caused - our dcs primary school has lost £70k in lettings income - the weekend and evening hires of rooms/playing field for clubs/sports, or holiday camps or one off birthday parties in the hall.

Then the PTA would normally raise around £25-30k a year. But that's pretty much been wiped out, no discos, no movie nights, no summer or Christmas fairs, no raffles or having a coffee and cake stand at sports day or mince pies for sale at nativity performances.

The scale of the gap in funding is massive. Selling sweets / cake stalls are pretty much all they have got. If you have other ideas that are allowed with current restrictions, offer them to the PTA and offer to do the work.

Bluenightowl · 14/03/2021 09:38

If the school has a healthy eating policy I’m really surprised they allow this.
Our school has one bake day a year and a couple of years ago, one prize was an enormous jar of sweets. I thought whoever won it, would leave it in school to be shared among the class but the school didn’t allow it to be opened. I can only imagine whoever won it, donated it elsewhere. It’s probably years old and out of date from being passed around!

I’d think the Easter egg idea is quite nice but my children get one Easter egg from us. I know others who get 10-15 Easter eggs at Easter so I can see why another from school would be unwanted.

ChocOrange1 · 14/03/2021 09:52

I'm on a PTA for a preschool. Fundraising this year has taken a massive hit due to covid. The things we would usually do - summer fairs, sponsored events, bring a parent day etc. are unable to go ahead.

Selling things like Easter eggs is a very cheap and easy option - local supermarkets will donate items like this, and most parents will buy one. Sure they could probably sell bananas instead but I doubt there would be much uptake.

ChocOrange1 · 14/03/2021 10:10

@VeganVeal

It's awful how Easter eggs are forced onto young children. I am quite happy to take mine to Tesco's to have a look at them, but no way will I buy them one, no matter how much they plead and cry, however I do let them have a free choice in the veg isle.

They'll thank me in the long run when they have decay free teeth in later life

How strange. Fair enough if you don't want them to have Easter eggs, but then why not steer clear of that aisle? It sounds like you're deliberately taking them to view the eggs, they then cry that they're not allowed one and you give them a carrot instead. I just don't show my daughter the eggs in the first place.