To think other children's snacks are irresponsible?

[cowgirljoey]

The official policy at DS's school (Year 2) is for them to bring a fruit or veg snack from home for break time. This seemed to be what happened when DS was in reception and Year 1, but over time DS tells me that his friends are regularly bringing crisps, chocolate bars and sweets in for their snack(s) and that he is one of the only ones who has fruit/veg each time.

Totally get that this needs fact-checking (I have a few reasons to think is is accurate), but if it is AIBU to think this is something I should contact school about? I don't think it's fair on the kids to be having junk food as a snack, and I've observed myself that lots of them eat barely any of their school lunch, suggesting that they aren't v. hungry at this point (understandable if they've had choc/crisps an hour beforehand). I think that parent are being irresponsible to be giving chocolate as a daily morning snack, but as I have no control over this, AIBU to think that school should be enforcing the fruit/veg policy?

Kind of get where you are coming from. Im a kid from the 80s and ate crisps as a snack most days. I haven’t turned out to be obese. Maybe you shouldn’t worry too much about what other children are eating?

I VERY much doubt a packet of crisps is filling a kid up enough to boycott his lunch!!

It is not any of your business what other parents give their children for snack time, keep your nose out

It’s nearly impossible to enforce these policies - I am not telling a 7 yr old (or even a 10 yr old) that they can’t have the snack their parent has sent them in with and making them go hungry. We can send all the reminders we like to parents, but if they can’t or won’t follow it there’s not much I can do except punish the child for something that is, most likely, out of their control.

Obesity related health conditions are soon set to cost the NHS 10 billion a year. Maybe the country wouldn't be in such a state if we individually and collectively took some responsibility for our health.

My sons often took a chocolate bar or bag of crisps as a snack, same goes for me when l was at school.
I've never had a weight problem and neither have my sons, they are 18 and 22, work out and eat a healthy high protein diet, as do most of their friends.

As my late mum would say… paddle your own canoe

I don't care about what trainers kids wear, it if they have the latest x box, or are allowed out. I do care that our nation is getting more and more unhealthy and this generation of kids are unhealthiest ever. I work in health and it's frankly terrifying what is going to happen to them, the system and society. It's not just being unfit but also what they eat. We will look back and wish we had stopped it.

It is frustrating when schools seem to have policies but then have no means of enforcing them. It ticks a box for them on theirs policies but then can't manage it.

I get OP that you are in no way trying to police what others eat, but just to highlight to the school it's ridiculous to promote policies they will not enforce.
But ultimately you have to just to continue making good choices for your child and explain to them the reasons for the right choices, we don't copy others etc etc.

However, 64% of adults in the UK are either overweight or obese (37.9% and 25.6% respectively) so it would appear that you would be in a minority.

This is really a case of where you tell your child that it doesn't matter what other families do, you decide for your family.

I'm astounded so many people voted YABU, but then again we do have a massive obesity issue so I guess it makes sense

@Bumdealoftheweek yes, but not all parents have this luxury. I teach in a very deprived area and we do not police their snacks because the parents are doing the best they can. A packet of 6 crisps cost can cost £1 a packet of apples may also cost this but if the child refuses to eat them then it is a waste of money the family cannot afford to waste. They cannot risk this so continue to pick foods they know their child will eat. I speak to so many parents who want their children to eat heavily but they can't afford to experiment with their child (e.g. buying pineapple and mango to try). They stick to safe, cheap options that they know their children will eat. So they know they've been fed and they know the food will have been eaten and not thrown in the bin.

Healthily*

Nothing to do with you stay out of it

Why don’t you change your kid to thst school if you prefer the way they do things?

Not read all posts but I assume what other posters are probably saying and it won’t be positive! This is one situation where I don’t see the point of going on mumsnet, I would either ignore and just keep sending your child with the fruit or veg OR contact the school and discuss how you feel. It’s not a big deal for the school as they get parents calling n emailing about all sorts.

it’s one of those topics that is going to rile people up and they will be harsh. Just call the school or ignore.

Stay out of it! If you do this (and your son was truthful) you're going to be the mum that told on all the other parents who were clearly perfectly happy with their choices. You as your sons parent can choose to give him fruit, they can choose for their own child. Are their also rules around lunches? What if that child has lots of issues with food and won't eat the lunch the school provides/allows and thats all the parents can get into them during the day?

I totally get that but it's all part of the same problem which is why it is a societal issue not just an individual one. We have normalised crap, nutrient devoid foods by putting the profits of business above our health. But you're not allowed to make the crap food more expensive because it's all about "personal choice". It's not though. Crisps, chocolate, junk are all designed to taste better and to make us want more of it. Of course kids don't want an apple when they can have a packet of crisps but if everyone is eating the apples and the crisps aren't available then that becomes the normal behaviour.

That's is not in keeping with any of the other comments you've made. Up until this point you've been focusing on other parents being irresponsible by allowing their children crisps etc., on whether or not you have a duty to try and ensure they can't provide their children with food you (and the school policy) consider inappropriate.

Now you're saying you want to contact the school and ask if it's true that it's okay for you to send in that food too!

I'm guessing that the reality is you want to feed your DS healthy food and want to be able to rely on "school rules" as the reason for doing so to minimise arguments at home and the need to constantly justify to him?

I do understand. It's hard to stick to good eating habits when there's so much going on around you that fights against it. And the arguments can be so tiresome. But I think you're trying to shortcut and it's a poor approach long term.

Even if you managed to get the school to enforce its policy now, the kids are getting older and will soon be able to get those sweets in without the teachers being able to stop them. And over time your DS will start seeing kids outside of school more and more and will soon be very aware that most people don't have particularly healthy diets.

You need get comfortable with telling DS that you eat healthily because your family thinks it's important, regardless of what other families do. Have those battles with DS. Deal with the awkwardness. Hold firm and inculcate good eating habits without demonizing others as rule breakers or anything else. We are a pretty diverse society, you are setting him up for failure if you simply try and rely on it being a norm and enforced by others.

Is this generation of children really more unhealthy than previous ones? I grew up in the 90s and ate similarly to most of my friends at that time. Breakfast was usually a bowl of Frosties or Coco Pops then a chocolate bar at mid-morning break, packed lunch was a sandwich, a packet of crisps and maybe an apple. My apple would usually be carried around in my lunchbox for the week rather than eaten. I’d usually have another packet of crisps when I got in from school and then dinner would very often be freezer food like fish fingers, chips and peas. Sometimes it would be a cooked meal like spaghetti bolognese or something or a roast dinner on the weekend. Are children now really eating any worse than that?

I completely agree with you, OP, but apparently on MN, despite the competitive undereating, sending your child with a "diabetes in teenager years pack" to share with all the other kids it's the ONLY way to live. Because they think children with health conscious parents will magically choose to eat an apple when all their friends are having oreos...

It’s equally worrying for children to be over weight as it is under weight . High sugar levels and salt levels can impact not only on concentration levels but also all round body health. Of cause we all like a children’s party with cake and jelly , but as most of us know we’re peeling them off the ceiling which is fine on occasions. But possibly not the best for a learning environment - often children get labelled with tiredness or undesirable behaviour when all that’s needed is a change of diet- this is for a small minority of children but non the less can impact on a whole classroom . Bananas are currently 18 p 🙀 I know shocking 12 p last month . A bag of crisps 65p …. One a slow releaser of energy the other negative carbs , taste great though . No brainier

According to my DD3 everyone has crisps and chocolate for snack. Everyone is allowed Dairylee dunkers and Nutella crumpets. Everyone is allowed to go to the park straight from school every day in uniform and nobody else has to do their homework.

I suspect your DS’s account of break snacks is about as accurate as DDs…