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Original poster

Parents "sneaking" pop into water bottles - opinions please?

334 replies

Bozza · 15/09/2005 10:47

DS has just started reception and they have a policy that all the children are allowed to take in a bottle of water which are kept on a tray and they are allowed to help themselves as and when. Think this sort of idea is becoming pretty common. So I went out and bought DS a nice new Star Wars bottle to take it in and he was quite happy.

However loads of the parents are complaining and saying their kids won't drink water. Some of them have started sending in flavoured water and ribena. One even sent diet coke. I'm a bit peeved about this because DS knows they are only allowed water but that some of the others are taking these things. I know its only a small thing but I do think it is giving the kids the message that its OK to undermine the teacher and I think that its the start of the discipline problems that afflict lots of schools - the sort of thing that HMB describes very eloquently. What do you think?

OP posts:
Lilsis1975 · 17/09/2005 11:38

Edam,
the milk goes in the fridge now lol. But i do remember warm milk ewwwwwwwwwwww

Ulysees · 17/09/2005 11:41

Anyone remember when we had to share a bottle cos of shortage or whatever? I had to share with a lad who had the longest candlesticks [vomit]

handlemecarefully · 19/09/2005 08:23

Excellent - thanks all, this thread has reminded me to contact Custardo and cancel my tentative plans to go along to the Christmas do.

A friend of mine (occasional mumsnetter)said "You're not really going are you hmc? - you're always complaining that they are a bunch of prissy, self opinionated, hectoring, lecturing holier than thou types..."

...she has a point....

batters · 19/09/2005 08:50

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

handlemecarefully · 19/09/2005 09:11

No, it hasn't stopped me from going to the Christmas do Batters, just reminded me of my previous decision to cancel

I'm not in a prickly mood today, just feeling brazenly honest and forthright

handlemecarefully · 19/09/2005 09:18

Mind you a couple of comments like:

"Water is the expected drink for the kids to take in at my girls schools and thats fine by me. What a load of cobblers from the rest of you"

...did rankle!

dropinthe · 19/09/2005 09:44

I've got a very BIG problem at the moment.Grandad is a LIDLs/ALDI's fanatic and comes over a couple of days a week with his push along basket FULL of Fruit shoot type drinks full of no's and sugars and crap.My dh's parents are both Irish and see these kinds of drinks as "treats" for the kids as they didn't have them when they were young.He refers to them as the kids "beers"(like his and daddys' and of course they want to tuck into them.I have told him hundreds of time that they have loads of sugar and chemical in them but he is just NOT listening to me.
I end up hiding the/throwing them away but I can't stop them drinking the one's he gives them directly for fear of offending him-I have tried to offer an alternative and ask him to buy small toys instead but he just then spends all his pension money on BOTH. I won't even mention the sweets and chocolate he brings them!
It is a nightmare and the boys have now come to expect it from him-I haven't always been great with offering water instead of very weak,sugar free squash and now,after reading all theses comments about water at school,I am panicking!
They drank lots of water in Turkey but that is because we really didn't want them drinking anything else in such a hot country.
What can I do?

hunkermunker · 19/09/2005 09:52

Well, HMC, I do hope you come to the Christmas do because I was looking forward to showing you my prissiest catbum mouth face whilst telling you all my wonderful opinions in a hectoring, lecturing fashion. After all, I am indeed holier than thou.

DIT - no advice, other than to pour the drinks into glasses and add water rather than let them drink out of the bottles maybe? And I will reply to your email, I promise!

dinosaur · 19/09/2005 09:54

handlemecarefully - I have always wanted to meet you and am gutted that you are cancelling on the Christmas do

dropinthe · 19/09/2005 09:57

HM-I do do that-am always trying to pour out whats is inside and replace it with light squash but they are not daft-they know a thick,syrupy,sweet drink when they get one!They are really vile-I can't drink one mouthful of them!

(Thought I'd offended the world and its oyster on Saturday and scared you off HM!!)

dropinthe · 19/09/2005 10:01

HMC-we can just avoid the sanctophiles and get bladdered,eh?-make Hunker jealous as she will be on the orange juice or water,whatever,is PC for the evening!!

Do come! I've always wanted to meet you too-you are a great poster!

dinosaur · 19/09/2005 10:01

dropinthe - can you just make it a rule that they are allowed to drink, say, one or two of these drinks a week (when granda comes to visit) but the rest of the time they have what you want them to drink?

dropinthe · 19/09/2005 10:03

Yes,I can but he normally comes over Tuesday morning and will stay until Wednesay night-then we will see him at the weekend too-I have to work Sundays so God knows how many they drink then-he is very good with them and does take them off my hands so I can have a relaxing bath,spend hours on here those kind of " me time"
activities!

dinosaur · 19/09/2005 10:08

Tricky one. Not much you can do apart from have extra and very thorough teeth-brushing on those nights then, I guess!

My family is all Irish and I know exactly what you mean about the attitude to treats.

dropinthe · 19/09/2005 10:09

Ah,teeth brushing! My eldest is fine about doing it but I have to pin the 20 month old down and just try my best to get as many brush strokes as I can in between the screams!
What fun!

dinosaur · 19/09/2005 10:12

As soon as mine were old enough to understand, I terrorised them with stories about how bad my own teeth were and how I had big abcesses and lots of pain (all true!) because my mum didn't make me clean my teeth or take me to the dentist. It's done the trick with the older ones anyway, just the baby to convince now!

weesaidie · 19/09/2005 10:12

Is this still going? I am with spidermama, water is obviously best but I wouldn't get my knickers in a twist about it.

dropinthe · 19/09/2005 10:16

No,my knickers are firmly straight but its still good to read what other people do!

weesaidie · 19/09/2005 10:19

I wasn't talking about you dropinthe, just saying it wouldn't really bother me.

handlemecarefully · 19/09/2005 14:34

Awww thanks dinosaur and dropinthe

dropinthe · 19/09/2005 18:12

So you are still coming then??

Gobbledigook · 19/09/2005 18:15

Hunker - it was gone today!

roisin · 19/09/2005 18:25

Gobbledigook!
DS2 drinks milk and water at school, refuses it at home. DS1 drinks water at school, but won't at home. (They will both drink water if we're out and it's hot and they're very thirsty.)

How are you btw? I caught a couple of threads mentioning that things weren't too great lately?

Gobbledigook · 19/09/2005 18:28

Hi Roisin - I know, amazing what they'll do when they haven't got you to whinge at!!

I'm Ok - just quite stressed out at the moment - house still not sold after 14 months and it's costing a fortune in 2 mortgages, taken on more work than I can really handle so working every spare minute of the day and I'm exhausted. Scheduled in a break in a few weeks before I go completely nutty!

roisin · 19/09/2005 19:44

Sounds like you deserve a break!
I didn't realise you had an unsold house - that certainly sounds stressful.