to be annoyed at parents who send their kids to school with packs of chocolates, sweets and other sugary items to be DISTRIBUTED among the children

[OrangeFish]

I might be, or I might not... but I can not understand the rationale of sending their kids with all these sugared items with the sole intention to be distributed to the other children in the class.

Am I unreasonable in getting annoyed at parents assuming that it is OK to give sweets to children without their parents having a say on it? is it ok for the teacher to distribute them just as they leave the classroom at the end of the day? I understand she doesn't want to deal with a crowd of 6 years old on a chocolate high, but why to assume we, the parents would be ok with it?

This is a sensitive topic to me... in the best case scenario, my son would be left empty handed as he couldn't have some sweets without risking a severe allergic reaction; in the worst case scenario, if he eats/touches the wrong thing he may end up in hospital.... so I wanted to know what is the consensus for this as I'm obviously biassed due to DS's particular problems.

Do you think it is OK for sweets to be distributed freely at the door of the classroom?

The problem is the OP said the sweets and chocolates were given on a regular basis and for unknown reasons, not just to celebrate a birthday! This is a completely different scenario! I just think it´s a little thoughtless to give children sweets without input from a parent.

Why should sweets be a special treat? eg. My dd loves strawberries and they are a special treat for her. She doesn´t automatically ask for sweets as a treat but a variety of other things that are limited due to cost more than anything..

Sweets contain empty calories, sugar and often with dodgy additives, colourings etc. And they ARE habit forming, children can learn to tolerate and enjoy sickly sweet things and the sugar high is addictive.

Rebecca, I´m surprised you use glucose tablets for a c one hour run. A well balanced diet should ensure your body copes well with exercise at this level..

Chocolate´s health giving properties mainly refer to dark chocolate, which is not what children eat. The rubbish in milk chocolate must far outway any benefits.

Yep I also use glucose drinks, even jelly babies (shock horror!) as a long distance runner myself. In fact after a marathon i downed a pack of them. Maybe I should have had a salad?

Strawberrys are not a treat for my kids, they have them probably every other day or more, like pineapple and mango. It's just part of their diet. Though they probably shouldn't with all the sugar in fruit...

Ridiculous to compare running a marathon with an hour run. Yawn.

Sugar in fruit is not the same as sugar in sweets. There are numerous nutrients in fruit esssential for good health.

So you can afford to buy strawberries, mangoes and pineapple everyday Alfie. I can´t and prefer to buy those things as a treat rather than a packet of jelly babies.

I said over an hour.

The last run I used glucose tabs for was a 2 1/2 hour hill run.

I can see why you would take some in those circumstances...

No tart,

why ridiculous?

A whole pack of jelly babies after a run is the same as a couple of glucose tablets after an hour run?

And sugar in fruit has the same if not more detrimental effect on teeth as sugar in sweets. As a dental hygenist I see children whose teeth have decayed mainly to to fruit acids. Parents who let their children graze on fruit all day thinking they are doing them good.

And as for affordability, I have three children and a pack of strawberries of strawberries from the garden in roughly £2. Buying a chocolate bar or treat 3 or 4 times over is similar. A pinapple is a pound and can feed all of us. Sorry if you don't feel you can afford that, I understand how that is a treat then.

Personally if my children have sweets i give them chocolate rather than lollypops, but I don't object if somebody wants to treat them.

I meant it is ridiculous to compare the body´s requirements after running a marathon to the body´s requirements after a one hour run.

I don´t want to get into a point by point discussion here, I think our positions are fixed aren´t they..

I think I must be a very old fashioned bad parent because I really do not give two hoots about this. I think "Oh how nice" when I open a book bag and see sweets, chocs, or cake etc in there. I give out party bags on ds's birthday and always bring a massive bag of sweets back off holiday for his class.

OP can you not give your child's teacher a job lot of treats that are suitable so your ds is not left empty handed when sweets are handed out.

The very first birthday party I took ds too consisted of Sandwiches, Raisins, Cherry Tomatoes, cucumber sticks and cheese portions - I was like this to be fair there was birthday cake to take home. I went expecting parties like I had as a child with gallons of jelly and ice cream and mountains of crisps.

I am into healthy eating as much as the next person but I do think that we overthink this.

I think its fine, its nice for children to celebrate each others birthdays etc. The only thing is the allergy issue and I do think all parents should respect that, its not hard to buy a box of gluten free jaffa cakes rather than normal jaffa cakes (or whatever) but its much better for all children to have the same.

I was at a party with Haribo inside the pass the parcel, which one boy couldn't eat - when he opened the parcel he recognised the packet, knew he couldn't have it, and had a strop. I felt really sorry for the host as I guess she just didn't know they weren't ok (think he was vegetarian or something).

I agree with everything in sunfleurs post.
Everyone likes a treat and I have never known any child hand out a huge amount of sweets, everyone generally gets a fun sized bar or packet or a lolly.
If they eat healthily everyday at home it doesn't do any harm. I believe that the strict control is counter productive and I wonder how many parents are as strict about their own diets as they are with their DCs.
I always smile at those who say 'my DC prefers an apple'-they never get to see their DC when they are completely out of their eye and control. If they know that Mum would prefer them to choose a piece of fruit they make sure that they do so in front of mum -they don't always do the same if she isn't there!

I have always found that if the children know about allergies in the class they work around it, but very often they don't know.

Does anyone not send their child to school or nursery with treats on their birthday then?

It is taken as read at dd's current school, and her last school, that if it's your birthday you bring treats in. I can see that for kids who are allergic to something it might be difficult, but I think it's perfectly OK otherwise. As piscesmoon says, if people are aware of the allergy they work around it.

I think it is a bit pointless moaning on here!It is nothing to do with the school or nursery-parents are choosing to do it. There is no pressure, except possibly from their DC, lots of DCs don't take sweets in.
The majority must like it and I think that in case of OP most sweets are for a birthday, in all my years at different schools I think that only about 3 occasions have been non birthday, and they were left over sweets from an event like a fete.