I have a serious issue.
My daughter is in kindergarten this year. At the beginning of the year, her teacher made is very clear that the children would NOT be able to bring in tons of sweets for birthdays, as a way of being fair to children who have summer/weekend/break birthdays. “Awesome”, I thought. Just to be safe though, on my daughter’s medical paperwork I wrote that she had a severe sensitivity to sugar and artificial dyes and her doctor recommended that she not consume them. I thought that was a reasonable way to handle the issue.
Turns out, this policy about treats is anything but true. They have had candy, cheetos, cupcakes, and cookies for EVERY birthday possible AND for “holidays” like Halloween, Valentines Day, Christmas… And we still have another large candy consuming holiday coming up (Easter).
I must say, I am pissed.
Every time they have a “party”, she is returned to me in such a state that it horrifies me. I’m not kidding. I was describing her behavior after school on Halloween to my boss and he actually laughed at the terrified look on my face.
Apart from NOT enjoying having to control a child on a severe sugar high, I think this kind of food is POISON to her growing body/brain!!! I DO NOT WANT HER CONSUMING THIS CRAP!
So, internet, what to do? I don’t want to freak out on her teacher, but I just don’t find this practice acceptable. I purposely pack her lunch every single day (instead of taking part in the free and reduced lunch program that is intended for poor parents like me) and it seems that every time I turn my back she is being fed stuff that completely undermines my diligent efforts to make sure she eats a healthy diet every meal of her life. I mean, if I wanted her to eat crap, I’d let her eat school lunch! Geez!
I also believe that she is going to end up facing a lot of adversity about her family’s way of eating and not always being included in the group of kids that brings in tons of cookies and cupcakes and candy for birthdays and holidays; I want her to start getting used to it young. Being a kid is hard sometimes, and I just want her to know that her choices of food at home (and essentially at school) are because they benefit her. I want her to be proud that her family cares about her health enough to make sure she isn’t being poisoned by processed food.
Ok, that’s my vent. Have any of you had to deal with this? How did you do it in a way that didn’t offend your child’s teacher/school administration?
Cookin' Like Crazy! 