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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think this is PC gone mad?

268 replies

Frasersmum123 · 12/03/2009 19:01

DS is 8 on Saturday and I have bough him some sweets to give out to his friends tomorrow. He has done this every year so far without a problem.

Today his teacher came to see me in the playground and told me that he wasnt allowed to give out the sweets, as the school cant condone giving them out and that it goes against their healthy eating policy

Surely a fun-size bag of Haribo isnt going to hurt anyone? Its not like its done every day!

OP posts:
oopsagain · 12/03/2009 21:56

just eat them outside of school.

School is there to educate the kids- i like the global issue around the making of the sweets.

You do all know that haribo are melted animals? [shick]

Pitchounette · 12/03/2009 21:58

Message withdrawn

Ineedsomesleep · 12/03/2009 22:00

Thanks Abbier, must get the cakes for work sorted instead of sitting on MN moaning about Haribo

Mumcentreplus · 12/03/2009 22:07

People bring cakes in to my place of work without a birthday!...we have someone with an enormous sweet tooth called Darren...yesterday brought in Banofee pie (homemade) it was lovely..lol...it's about enjoying life...you can't have sweets everyday...but once in a while it reminds you how sweet life can be...

Bigpants1 · 12/03/2009 22:12

Im from the everything in moderation brigade.I think if you totally ban sweets/cakes when the dc get older, they seem all the more appealing. Having said that, if a school has a healthy eating policy i would try and support that, and make my own choices for my own dc at home.But i do think policies are pushed too far sometimes-healthy meals,drinks,snacks, its nice to ease-up for special occassions(appreciate you cant, if your dc has allergy/illness,etc).My dcs school,stopped the sweetie tuck at school discos and only offered crisps and bottled water. These events were after school, and the children used to enjoy the whole experience of buying their sweets/drinks and letting off steam with their friends. The same school also provides healthy snacks to take home after school couple times a week- this includes cherry tomatoes in a plastic container. Many of the children dislike tomatoes, so throw them in the bin and also the plastic containers(if parents dont recycle). There is nothing eco-friendly about this and very wasteful. I would rather the dcs were prehaps getting something a little less healthy, but at least it was being eaten.

Quattrocento · 12/03/2009 22:13

Shouldn't the title read "... PC gorn maaad"?

oopsagain · 12/03/2009 22:21

most people don't ban thier kids from sweets.

they just want to give their own children the sweets they want given when they want them to be given.

it's a school not a cafe.

and the cake at work thing- you're al grown ups- maybe that's the difference

TheButterflyEffect · 12/03/2009 22:27

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MsHighwater · 12/03/2009 22:32

I like the kind of "healthy eating policy" that promotes a healthy attitude to all types of food, including sweets. So, YANBU, but a lot of people here ABU, I reckon.

If your child is in the minority who has an allergy to something in particular, then there is a limit to the extent that the rest of the world should be expected to bend over to accommodate that.

abbierhodes · 12/03/2009 22:38

MDS, I work in a secondary school with 200 staff, we tend to just bring enough for our own departments. Some people bring a couple of tins of chocolates to put in the middle of the staffroom.
On my birthday I'll bring some cakes for our departmental office, and pass a couple round to my good friends from elsewhere!

My friend had a birthday today and brought in home made scones! Lovely!

oopsagain · 12/03/2009 22:44

there is no such thing as society....
We don't need to care about other people's children, as long as our own needs are met, life's good, eh?

abbierhodes · 12/03/2009 22:51

Erm, I don't quite understand that oopsagain. I don't think anyone's been uncaring, just differing views on sweets, that's all.

oopsagain · 12/03/2009 22:58

it was the "we shouldn't have to bend over backwards for children with allergies" post.

But i do think that the whole thing is a bit uncaring.
It doesn't take othr people's feelings into consideration.
I'll give your kids sweets when it suits me... not when it suits you.

It's a school! not a cafe!

abbierhodes · 12/03/2009 23:09

Oh,I missed that. If I was giving sweets or indeed any treats out, then I'd ensure that all of the children involved could enjoy them. My LOs aren't at school yet, but I think I'd check with the teacher about allergies, and ask what is suitable.

I think we're going to have to agree to differ on this! I can't agree that it is inconsiderate to give someone a gift!
But I know that lots of people have stronger opinions on food than I have! (Possibly why I'm overweight!)

DandyLioness · 12/03/2009 23:11

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abbierhodes · 12/03/2009 23:22

I agree Dandylioness, that if all parents gave their kids healthy balanced diets then the schools wouldn't have to worry.
It's sad really.

And yes, the comment about the teacher's weight was out of order. I'm not as healthy as I should be, but my children are given a balanced diet. I feel that as an adult, I'm making an informed decision when I eat that extra cake, but until my children are old enough to understand properly about health then they'll eat a balanced diet with limited 'treats'.

However, having said all that, I still think that occasional sweets and cakes are part of a balanced diet. I think that banning them can create all sorts of issues.

abbierhodes · 12/03/2009 23:23

Anyway I'm off to bed...this conversation is making me want an Aero.

solowitch · 12/03/2009 23:29

Only read Op.

Ds's school has never allowed sweets to be brought in/given out. IMO, it's a good rule. Ds is not allowed sweets as it sends him loopy, therefore he'd be left out.

Also, 1 bag of Haribo(for example)x 30 kids each year....Twins...Triplets...even more bags of Haribo or whatever. They don't need it and certainly wont miss it in school. IMO.

DandyLioness · 12/03/2009 23:31

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DandyLioness · 12/03/2009 23:33

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HerBeatitudeLittleBella · 12/03/2009 23:59

Oh please, Healthy Schools isn't about ensuring kids eat healthily. In some cases, they are telling children that they can't have OJ because it's got (natural) sugar in it, but can have some crap drink with aspartame in instead. Adn they are saying that you can't bring in home made cakes but you can have some crap multi-national cereal bar with lots of ingredients you've never heard of in it.

It's about ticking boxes, not about health. The fact is, this current govt seems to have a touching faith in the ability of schools to sort out all the problems of society - be it obesity, child abuse, teenage pregnancy, global warming - and the fact is, the most influential thing in a child's life is its home and family and they should be targeting the lard-eating parents, because whatever schools say, is a drop in the ocean compared to what parents are doing.

SoupDragon · 13/03/2009 07:57

I don't understand why you think children need to hand out sweets on their birthday! It's ridiculous and causes far more problems then "good".

Original poster
Frasersmum123 · 13/03/2009 08:32

Because it makes them feel special on thier birthday and it teaches them to share.

I would like to point out that my son has a Peanut allergy, so I take into account all of those with allergies.

The reason the school have gone so mad about the whole thing is because they are trying to work towards some initiative which has three areas which they must meet (cant remember what it actually is TBH). They now check lunchboxes etc and ram it down the childrens throat, so that last week my Ds said that he wanted lettuce sandwiches because they were healthy. When I asked him if he actually liked lettuce, he said no!

OP posts:
Original poster
Frasersmum123 · 13/03/2009 08:33

What gets me more is that before Christmas they were allowed to hand out sweets, but now they are not.

OP posts:
Original poster
Frasersmum123 · 13/03/2009 08:33

Oh, and DS has 24 children in his class, so an aberage of 2 a month.

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