to wonder where the hell the concept of sending party bags into school in year 2 has suddenly appeared

[Twiglett]

and why they are full of total food-shit

I don't like it

I want them to stop

I just think it's a mad idea, the school is there to educate your children; I can imagine the hullaballo and excitement caused to a Year 2 class when these are handed out. And the actual organising the doling out of the bags which must be done by the teachers and teaching assistants. Cue opening of party bags, sweets all over the place and 30 over-excited kids. And if everyone followed this practice multiply this by 30 times a year.

It is not the schools place to administer this kind of activity. They work hard enough as it is. Frankly I am surprised that most schools haven't banned this as a matter of course.

And if this makes me a miserable old cow so be it.

Not read the end of this thread so hope I am not repeating, but My daughter who has just turned 5 has a non life threatening allergy to red/pink foods, natural and chemical, which If you ever look at Party food and sweets account for usually half the party food. She gets eczema after a few days, wets herself that night and has the runs the next day. As a Cm duaghter she has always bee aroung others who can eat things she can not but she is fully aware what not to eat, so I never hover by the table, and most friends are aware ad althought they do take her into consideration she has know been to about 10 parties and most only know about her intolerances if they try to gie her something red, squash, cake, biscuits, tomatoes, strawberries etc,
I would never expect parents to stop something because of my daughters allergies, I have brought my daughter to understand she is different but that is not a bad thing, just a different thing so, no tantrums, no bad reactions, no offence caused.

On the flip side we do have a box of junk food/sweets given out at parties/school and they have some once or twice a week from it, not all in one day its received. And if its something totally off limits, then it is given to someone who lets there kids eat it, and my kids accept it as their norm.

I would definitely have thought an inner city school in a deprived area would have better things to do with their time but I guess attitudes that parties are more important than learning is why it is so hard to break the cycle of poverty in this country...

And what I meant about not doing the children favours in the long run is that if you don't teach your children that they can't have something you can't afford just because someone else has one there is the risk they will grow up never learning about living within ones means....

Also where is it written that you have to invite the whole class? When dd was in early years of primary she used to have a small party of her close friends, about 3 or 4 of them. (Apart from that one year where I hired a church hall and a kiddy disco with a smoke machine; smoke machine set off the fire detectors, cue me hurrying outside with 30 shrieking 6 year olds to an outside couryard. In December. In the rain.)

Think it would be far more enjoyable for a kid to have a couple of his friends round that a party bag which will be forgotten within 5 minutes.

whyc nat he eat afetr school?
tis flipping tiring

we banned sweets for term time holidays at our gaff

you are oibsessed abotu sweets twig

Kiddi, if the comments re food allergies are aimed at me, then let me be clearer, as i feel i tinsy bit offended.

My daughter is not shielded from others and she has a good understanding of all her allergies and problems for her age. We eat out when i can afford it and take food for her with us wherever we go.

I do not expect other people to change anything for their children because of mine. i do not object to parties or others being invited to parties and all that entails; but i do think some parents could think more. it is other people that are making my ds feel excluded not me. i feel she should be accepted problems and all, just like your child obviously is.
And i do not hover over the table. My ds knows pain follows eating the wrong foods and she checks or asks one us to choose her food for her plate. We all eat together and she is being taught to not touch food that is not on her plate unless she knows its ok.

I have certainly not brought my child up to believe she is different in a bad way , but we take it all as matter of fact and she has me and 3 siblings all of whom do not share her problems so she is used to seeing things she knows she cannot have both at the table and in the kitchen.

I am slightly jealous: Avoiding red or pink would be far simpler to avoid and easier to explain to other parents than the foods my ds has to avoid.
Parents at school know there is an issue over food with my ds and they simply do not bother to say much after they have asked except oh my god!. Other friends of ours do know the ins and outs and they find it very complicated and difficult to get things right but regularly try and we eat with them frequently.

we have to avoid;
wheat,
eggs,
soya (inc anything hydrolysed and lecithins), all milk and dairy products (from any animal)
tomatoes,
all citrus fruits,
fish,
shellfish/seafood,
nuts.
all artificial colours and preservatives
MSG

And my daughter does get treats and what you may label as 'junk' but these have to be specialist foods sourced by dieticians and are there to help her gain weight and provide vital vitamins minerals and calcium. we give them like prized treats so as she feels the same excitement as other kids do over having them, rather than us wanting her to have them for her own good.

Consider yerselves lucky.
In some countries that whole thing extends to the workplace. Lost count of the times I was called into dh's office in Turkey to celebrate someone's birthday with a litre of flat warm coke and a lurid pink and green cake usually finished off by two glazed grey bananas.

Smashing.

in what way am I obsessed about sweets cod?

is it unusual to not want your kid to be given 2 packets of crisps, an orange drink, a chocolate bar, a lollipop, a fizzy sweet and a couple of chewy suits at hometime?

I wouldn't let my kids near any of that shit Twig.

no but hwy he cant eat afer school? did he really htink he coudl eat it all at once
coudlnt you say" no haev a lolly have the rest later"
btuyes tbh i thinkt he practice si s hit regardles of what is IN the bag

lol at 'chewy suits' though.
That polyester mix is a bugger to munch through.

i love chewits

Drinks in party bags? How bizarre.

Moondog I thought it was common practice to take cakes into work on your birthday, I always do. Inviting spouses (is that the right plural?) does seem a step too far, mind you.

God i wouldn't take a cake in to my miserable lot at work.

A true bag of shit then - blimey, I thought you meant a few sweets and a little toy or something.

dd's class only seem to go in for one sweet or a fairy cake (the very few that do it in the first place)

the onyl time we ahd party bgas fore everyone was in ds3s class where the soel indian boy in the (ahem) shcool brought htem in
wonder if its cultural

Wot isn't?

(Cultural that is.)

I don't take an actual birthday cake in, I hasten to add, just some cream buns or something....

Cod, he has something to eat when he gets home .. he is allowed sweets and cakes and crap too .. and I'm lucky that I like making stuff so a lot is homemade

.. after school is not a time to be having an immediate argument about what he's allowed and not, especially if I've had a house full of kids all day

.. he has problems with his teeth so it is better to eat it in one sitting than eek it out over time .. but I'm obviously doing something farkin' wrong aren't I .. I'm obviously giving the impression I have a stick up my arse about food

yeah, well that's 2 threads at the same time you're having a go at me on

and today I can't take it

im sorry.

sox, no just took general vein form thread, seemed to say that party bags caused hassle for parents having to say no to their kids, which is my pet hate!
parents should speak to children like they can think! phrases, 'arguments after school' drive me scatty. Why are set basic rules and keep to them, kids understand and then No arguments, Maybe not great JOY but its real life.
Re allergies I am very blessed and I know that. I am happy that the allergy is vaguely covered by 'red'and no greater apparent damage than humiliation soiling herself in public. as she is also greatly allergic penicillin which could have more fatal consequences though does not usualy come in party bags, thank goodness. unlike nut allergies etc.
My cousin my age has allergies to FOOD, DUST, AIR ETC so yes we are blessed and I understand the issues.
I do not profess to be a great parent but I do treat my child sensibily and whilst I will dicuss I wil not argue about rules.
I see too many parents both physically and mentally scared of their under 5's and it concerns me for the future.
Oh no just fell off my soap box!