Juice in school

[Fubar01]

My DD’s teacher is being very combative about her taking juice to school (primary) in a clear drinking bottle. He says it’s against school healthy eating standards, but if she brings it in a non clear bottle it’s fine! She brings a very healthy lunch and has perfect teeth. She is also very sporty . She point blank refuses to drink water. Yet others in her class bring crisps and chocolate and nothing is said .
AIBU to stick with the (new) clear bottle?
i dislike petty rules that have no bearing on her education ! Especially when the rules are not enforced for others !

Saying they should contain water is different to saying they must contain water.

For what its worth i think the teacher has been reasonable and i would just buy a different water bottle.

But just because a school says something or has a rule doesn't mean Im going to automatically follow it.

Another entitled parent who refuses to follow rules and wants to make a fuss over nothing! 🙄
I’m not sure whether this problem is getting worse or if I’m just noticing it more since leaving teaching.
Parents like this will be the first ones to complain that little Johnny hasn’t had a consistent teacher for 6 months because their teacher dared to go off with stress. Is it any wonder with having to deal with this sort of bollocks?

I also think the teacher has been reasonable. But this is a rule I wouldn't challenge anyway because it's not a bad rule. I think as far as school rules go, there's not many that warrant kicking off about. It's not gonna hurt any kid to drink water when they're thirsty throughout the school day.

I was at primary school in the 90s and we didn't have drinks bottles. It was lunchtime when it probably was a carton of juice in the lunchbox, and water fountains at break time. No other option. Even at secondary in the 00s, no drinks in lessons.

Might be easier for schools to go back to that rule, judging by some of the parents on here...

Two choices:

1. non-clear bottle
2. water

If I was the teacher and you replied to me being a dick about it, I would just refer back to school policy saying water only, no juice allowed

How old is your daughter OP? Yes, her teeth may be perfect… at the moment.
Juice has a lot of sugar, natural sugars or otherwise. Over time, this will cause tooth decay. Just because her teeth are ok at the moment, allowing her to drink juice throughout the day is not ideal and tooth decay won’t be picked up immediately. If she’s that thirsty, she will drink water.

@justkeepswimmng I feel you're just being a bit contrary for the sake of it.

The teacher has been reasonable, as you said. The Op is unreasonable to make an issue out of it.
And that's the question asked by the post.

I have been following the OP's counter "arguments" open mouthed.

@Fubar01 do you always see everything in such black and white terms?
Are you familiar with the term "compromise"

The teacher has been kind enough to offer you a compromise, so why don't you take it?

Other schools are less accommodating.

I think the teacher is supportive here. He knows that your daughter won't drink water, so is providing you a way to give her a drink she will have. If you fight this, it might end up with your daughter not drinking all day.

I would much rather she learns that reasonable accommodations can be made than everyone should always stick to rules no matter how appropriate they are.

Don't worry, the heroin keeps them thin.

Poor teachers 😢.

Put your juice in an opaque bottle, so the teacher doesn't have to deal with all the children wanting juice, because one parent has decided to be combative.

School is made up of petty rules, but we adhere to them to prepare our children for the petty rules they'll encounter at work and in the world at large. It also instils a sense of discipline that so many parents are incapable of instilling. It must be exhausting objecting to every little thing, just because...

I guess if you're keeping them locked in a shed away from the outside world, they'll never know.

Yes, it can do. Personally I use a water filter.

DD has one of these. It's £15 so not exactly cheap but it's resilient and has survived a fair amount bashing. We tried a cheaper one to start with and it got leaky after a few months.

Super Sparrow Stainless Steel Water Bottle - 350ml / 500ml / 620ml / 750ml / 1000ml - Vacuum Insulated Metal Water Bottle - Standard Mouth Flask - BPA Free - Straw Water Bottle for Work, Gym, Sports amzn.eu/d/0tTaYKR

I was replying to other posters, not directly the OPs post.

I get OP's frustration at the rule, which sounds like what happens with park bench tramps in America, drinking from a bottle wrapped in a paper bag so they aren't offending public decency with [swoons] an open container of alcohol.

But we all have to put up with petty rules in our lives, and sometimes there are good reasons why a rule ends up in place, even if it does look a bit silly in isolation. Certainly I would not be getting myself (and, by extension, DD) a reputation in the staffroom over something as minor as this.

Maybe OP could write a stiff letter to the local newspaper (in green biro, natch), mentioning the nanny state, or "elf 'n' safety gorn mad", or for extra points, "wokeness"? 😀

I'd always support any effort by teachers and school towards healthy eating. Some may call it the nanny state. Personally I found it really easy to encourage healthy eating if everyone in the school was bringing a healthy lunchbox. Children learn by example.

If this is the issue, tell your child quite clearly that you don't agree with your teacher on this, that you don't think it's ok to bend the rules for her, and she therefore needs to drink water from her clear bottle like everyone else.

I personally would be fine with what the teacher suggested but if you are not then don't do it.

You are creating a problem for your teacher. Either put water in the clear bottle or squash / juice in an opaque bottle.

I don’t understand the problem here. If you want her to continue having juice then a non clear bottle is a reasonable request.

OP I will personally pay for you to get your DD an opaque bottle if that's the issue.
Or - if she's thirsty enough she'll drink water - put it in the freezer the night before, put a squeeze of lemon in it and it will be delicious and refreshing when she goes to drink it.
Honestly, choose your battles.

Squash. Squash. Squash.

Well I think we can see why the poor kid is so anxious!!

This is such a non issue. Get a new bottle for your child's juice and focus on more important things.
Bloody hell, if all I had to worry about was what bottle I put my childs juice in...!

If you don’t want to teach your child to flout rules and be sneaky then just send water! You are the one teaching your child that rules don’t apply by sending the juice!