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Teenagers

Parenting teenagers has its ups and downs. Get advice from Mumsnetters here.

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Original poster

Would it worry you if your 13 year old's classmates sold sweets at school every day on the sly?

30 replies

tigermoth · 05/06/2007 20:24

My son regularly buys sweets from several of his classmates who bring them in to school to sell at a profit. There is a thriving undercover trade (st least they are not selling drugs).

My son tells me some of the parents supply their children with wholesale boxes of sweets to trade with. Other children use their pocket money to buy large bags of sweets, then divide them up to sell. Parents apparently turn a blind eye to their teenager's little business.

Teachers see this trading going on every break time but rarely intervene. AFAIK the PTA is doing nothing either (I have seen no letters or petitions etc).

The school (a grammar school fwiw) has no sweet or fizzy drink machines, and encourages healthy eating at lunchtime (salad bar, fresh fruit, milk bar etc and chips only served twice a week).

I am far from wringing my hands in anguish while throwing them up in horror at this lax attitude to undercover sweet trading, but but even so....

OP posts:

Malaleche · 05/06/2007 20:31

i'd love to know what those 'enterprising' kids will be doing 10 years from now!

ProjectIcarus · 05/06/2007 20:33

we used to sell fags . Could be worse lol.

Dubious though and should be stopped i would think.

admylin · 05/06/2007 20:33

I knew a mum of a 14 year old who thought her son must have the makings of a great business man when he started doing this. I think I would rather my son put his energy into the academic side of school and stayed away from that sort of thing.

MaureenMLove · 05/06/2007 20:37

It could be a lot worse, it is only sweets. Maybe it would be better to ask your son not to buy sweets from them in the first place, afterall, its not just the school that should be encouraging healthy eating.

MrsBadger · 05/06/2007 20:39

Half of me applauds their entepreneureal skills (DH did similar and attributes his current business success to early experiences in a cutthroat market).
The other half is thankful it's not cigarettes/ booze / drugs.

I can't quite bring myself to get worked up about it, I'm afraid.
If you trust your son a) not to get stung by overinflated prices and b) not to pig out on sweets in favour of healthy food, I'm not sure there's a lot you can do...

Desiderata · 05/06/2007 20:40

I don't think it's anything new, tiger. Billy Bunter and the Tuck Shop and all that ...

It does go to prove that kids will always find a way of getting sweets!! It's an unstoppable force of nature.

lilymolly · 05/06/2007 20:40

oh wow, what memories, we had a friend at school who went home for lunch everyday, and we used to giver all our money and she would bring icepops and crappy sweets

It was great fun, she made a profit and we lived on crap

Thank god it not heroin/cocaine

I would think its great thats what school is all about

colditz · 05/06/2007 20:47

At least it's not ecstacy.

Original poster

tigermoth · 05/06/2007 21:10

I wonder if the answers would be so easy going if my son was 5 and not 13 Funny how our conception of what is ok or not foodwise do change over time. And where are the mumsnet good food at all costs people? This thread seems to have escaped their notice.

No matter how much you tell your secondary school children not to eat rubbish, you cannot control what shops they go into on their way back from school. There are ever so many chippies and sweet shops on the roads around the school.

I am just a bit surprised the school seems to be turning a blind eye on the eating of sweets on school premises.

OP posts:

MaureenMLove · 05/06/2007 21:29

I see your point and I agree, there would be very different comments had the child been 5. Trouble is, I would imagine a secondary school has much bigger problems to deal with, than a couple of kids dealing sweets. From the comments so far, it seems that its something that has been going on for years in some shape or form and will do forever and a day. I think you just have to hope that your son knows the difference between a sweet treat now and then and not gorge on them all the time.

Roux · 06/06/2007 20:24

oh FGS... we're talking kids being kids

Get over yourself would you

FFS 'thriving undercover trade'..'letters or petitions'...'wringing my hands in anguish'

My guess is with an attitude like yours your DS will probably be a the front of the queue

Give him, and yourself a break, and take a chill pill would you flower

Lilymaid · 06/06/2007 21:14

At DS' old school boys had been known to sell their homework! Can't say I'm overkeen on the selling of sweets at school, but it shows enterprise.

Original poster

tigermoth · 07/06/2007 07:34

Roux, what a misquote! I actually said I was far from wringing my hands in anguish. And you've taken my words out of context.

Perhaps you're one of the parents whose child brings in boxes of sweets to sell?

OP posts:

Nightynight · 07/06/2007 08:24

Roux, what a pity you don't appreciate tigermoth's literate posting style!

hmm tigermoth, can understand your concern.
I would not be completely comfortable either. I think my concern would centre around my children buying stuff at inflated prices.

Ladymuck · 07/06/2007 10:09

No, it wouldn't bother me at all tbh at secondary school. It would bother me in infants, but not just because it is sweets, more about infant age kids bringing money to school. Not sure about top end of juniors yet - we haven't got that far.

BrothelSprouts · 07/06/2007 10:10

Good for them.
Alan Sugar would be proud!

Carmenere · 07/06/2007 10:12

I spoke to a child dietician for an article on childhood obesity once and she told me that one of the contributing factors is the vastly increased spending power that children have. Even 10/11 yr olds commonly have £5/£10 per week and they obviously spend it on crap.

I don't think I would be that upset at 13 yr olds selling sweets but I would just make sure that my dc didn't have loads of cash to buy them with.

mumblechum · 07/06/2007 10:15

This happens at my ds's school as well and it doesn't bother me as long as he doesn't buy too much. I used to give him £2 a day lunch money and found out he was spending most of it on sweets, so now send him with a packed lunch 4 days a week and only about 25p max per day which I know he'll spend on sweets.

Piffle · 07/06/2007 10:16

my ds is 13 and bulk buys rolo minis with his dinner money and regularly triples his stash
He does not eat sweets at all really

BeatrootandBenedick · 07/06/2007 10:17

My 11 year old goes to the pound shop and buys chews then sells them to his mates in school. they go like hot cakes.

he even goes around afgterwards adn picks up their dropped wrappers

Pruuni · 07/06/2007 10:18

I think it's normal. We did it at age 8 and 9, I remember. Secondary school a blur but I'm sure it went on.
They are kids, after all.

BeatrootandBenedick · 07/06/2007 10:18

my 11 year old saves all his profit btw!

lemonaid · 07/06/2007 10:22

Fairly normal and wouldn't bother me too much.

I remember at school someone used to do a run across the playing fields to the hospital shop and bring back custard doughnuts to sell on, although I think they only charged a small mark-up (clearly lacked these boys' entrepreneurial streak).

binkleandflip · 07/06/2007 10:25

I think it's great. It was kendal mint cakes when I was at school - supplied direct from the lake district (they went every weekend!) yum

LoveAngel · 07/06/2007 10:49

Glad the OP mentioned 'better than selling drugs' as at my school 13 yr olds were more likely to be selling weed than twix bars! This wouldn't really worry me.

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