By Anya
On the list of concerns that fray parents’ nerves, food issues have to be at the top.
Can’t get little Ethan to touch the fresh organic kale that you spent a fortune on at Whole Foods? What to do? If only he would try it, he would love it! It’s so good for him! (And yeah, you will totally get bonus points when you tell your mom friends that your kid eats kale!) Maybe your situation is more dire. You may be the parent of a picky eater or worse, a non eater (I’ve been there). These parents spend countless hours tormented that little Olivia cannot possibly thrive by eating only grapes and crackers and two or three bites of dinner.
The baby/toddler years are easy-peasy, however, compared to the school years. First, you must make the most critical decision you have had to make since you decided on that whole circumcision thing: bag lunch from home or school lunch? Many parents assume they are doing the right thing by sending their child off with a bag lunch prepared at home. After all, most of us have not so fond memories of the mystery meats of our long ago cafeteria days. Of course, we know that most schools have made huge strides in improving both the taste and nutrition value of the meals they offer, but nobody can prepare your child’s meal with the same love that you do – right? In the past, the biggest issue facing parents who went the bagged lunch route was the sneaking suspicion that the less popular items in said lunch would likely be thrown away or traded on the playground black market. Now parents have a new fear – the school administrator.
Last month, a North Carolina girl had her packed lunch taken away by a school official who felt that the meal, consisting of a turkey and cheese sandwich, juice, a banana and chips did not meet the required USDA nutritional standards put in place by the Department of Health and Human Services. The school administrator replaced the packed lunch with a cafeteria lunch consisting of….chicken nuggets. (I kid you not). The best part? The school sent the child’s mother a bill for the meal.
Nobody will disagree that children require a healthy and nutritious diet in order to succeed and reach their full potential. The fact is most parents are striving to do their best. Whether due to our rushed lives or a child’s own food predilection, kids aren’t always going to consume the most nutritionally optimal meal, however. There was a time when my nine-year-old would only eat bagels for lunch. So guess what I sent her to school with? I cringe to think about her packed lunch being taken away and replaced with a lunch prepared by the school. Just brand “Bad Mother” on my forehead and get it over with. For what it is worth, my nine-year-old is now a college student. She’s still a picky eater, but seems to have suffered no long lasting negative effects from her diet.
Who decides what a proper diet for a child is? Should this decision fall to the parents or should society, bureaucrats and administrators all weigh in too?
Mo says
February 21, 2012 at 7:16 amI hate making school lunches. My kids buy their lunch most days. The school has a website that shows me daily what they chose to eat so I can keep an eye on it. And there is always a fruit/salad bar that they get choose from as well.
My son is the picky eater. He likes the basic veggies but I can’t get him to eat any of the fancy stuff. He look at me like I’m crazy if I put Kale on his plate. My daughter, on the other hand, will eat most any veggie and chooses the salad bar at school most days. She will even eat sushi!
snickers says
February 21, 2012 at 8:26 amEverything in moderation, but no school needs to tell you what you can pack in a lunch. If you see what is slung on a tray, most meals would gag an adult. My children always had the option, eat or pack. Chicken nuggets,instead of a turkey and chesse on whole wheat? Looks like my lawyer would be visitng that school. We need to focus on education from the school, not the nanny gate of food choices. I’m sure it was the small bag of chips that flagged the lunch, but they serve fries at school.
Our school system does not cook anything from scratch, it’s all pre-packaged food, right down to the cookies, yet they say it meets the health requirements of the lunch program. Go figure.
Samantha@IW says
February 21, 2012 at 8:34 amWe have food issues in our house. The eight year old only likes meat in nugget form, and turns her nose up at anything healthy. The only veggie the 18 month old will eat- peas.
Grapes and crackers are a staple for her so I laughed out loud when I read that! She does love fruit which is a good thing but I can’t get her to eat a remotely balanced meal.
I have food guilt.
I’ve always packed our oldest’s lunch- a typical day is pb&j, string cheese, fruit and (gasp!!!) chips/cookie/granola bar/pretzels and a bottle of water. I would freak out if they took her lunch away. When I first heard that story I was stunned that somehow chicken nuggets trump turkey sandwich on the health ladder.
I the school did some major overstepping. It would be one thing if a parent is sending in things that are against the rules (like soda)- I’m really glad this mom brought attention to this rather than letting it go.
Pam@IW says
February 21, 2012 at 11:43 amIt has been a long time for me and school lunches but my kids did both, bag lunch and purchased. I will say there was nothing nutritious about any of the school lunches back then. I did always try and pack extra cheese and crackers or that type of thing for them.
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I think this should be up to the parent regarding what their child brings for the most part. I am not opposed to ongoing nutritional instruction given out in a variety of ways by the school district to both parents and students.
Jennie@IW says
February 21, 2012 at 2:09 pmIt seems to me school lunches were second only to homework in causing anxiety in the grade school years. Nothing like cleaning out a backpack and finding a week’s worth of uneaten sandwiches, because: 1) so the kid just didn’t eat?! and 2) Monday’s sandwich at least managed to get gross and moldy.
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I believe in proper nutrition and hopefully exposing kids to a variety of healthy foods, but it is *never* a school’s responsibility to take away a lunch packed by a parent, unless it contains an eight-ball of cocaine, a rusty razor blade for cutting it into lines and a fifth of gin. Even the much reviled Lunchables are a parent’s prerogative, and may be the only way a child gets some protein into their body that day.
Samantha@IW says
February 21, 2012 at 3:01 pmbut it is *never* a school’s responsibility to take away a lunch packed by a parent, unless it contains an eight-ball of cocaine, a rusty razor blade for cutting it into lines and a fifth of gin
Preach it Jennie! That made my afternoon a lot better 😉
Ann @ IW says
February 21, 2012 at 4:50 pmI LOL-ed at Jennie’s comment, too.
Unless it is unsafe to eat- that’s lunch. I read aloud the contents of the lunch that was confiscated and my family is shocked. Guess what I packed last week? Turkey and cheese on whole wheat (with mayo for 4/5 of us,) a banana or clementines or an apple, and a dessert that I baked. My kids take seltzer, water or 100% juice (but the smallest amounts since it’s too sweet for all of us.) What is the problem with that lunch? Surely, not the fruit. Turkey is a superfood. Mayo, cheese, a dessert are not “healthy” but for kids who are fit and not even close to being overweight, what is the problem?
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Even if the chips were not nutritious- maybe that is the “treat” the child is getting for the day. Chips are fine in moderation- once in a while- so who is to say when it is wrong to indulge?
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My kids always ate everything. I have no food issues here except a *reluctance* on the part of one child to eat roasted brussel sprouts and another to eat butternut squash. I am so lucky that way. They eat kale. If kale chips weren’t so expensive, I’d get those instead of popcorn or pretzels. My favorite way to eat it is steamed in a bit of chicken broth with dried cranberries, nuts, and dijon whisked in. YUM!
Kmom2 says
February 22, 2012 at 6:10 amWhen my daughter was 5 yrs old, she would only eat “white” food. White bread, white potatoes, pasta, white corn, etc. I did sneak chicken and turkey in by boiling it so it was “white”. LOL LOL This lasted all thru kindergarten. I wanted to scream! LOL LOL I could eat the boiled chicken, but the turkey I had to brown in the oven or a pan. lol Ahhhhh picky little ones. How much fun!
Lily@IW says
February 22, 2012 at 6:54 amI agree, preach it Jennie. I would be really upset if someone took away my child’s lunch. Someone is a powermonger. I’ve gotten used to some of the stupid stories I hear about schools, but that one ranks near the top.
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I had one picky eater. I packed his lunch everyday. My last one was very difficult until about age 5/6. But, she wasn’t picky. Just a very slow eater and underweight. She used to make me crazy by holding the bites in her cheek. That’s all over now. She’s the first kid I’ve had that gets excited about new foods and I have enjoyed the difference. Her school lunches are pretty good. I seldom pack a lunch, but did today because she doesn’t like the seasoning they put in their chicken noodle soup. PBJ (no crusts), strawberry pudding, banana and just a few chips.
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Kmom2, Wow, only white food. I’m glad that’s over with. That sounds really difficult.
Marnie says
February 24, 2012 at 2:17 pmamen Jennie!
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I have 2 that are like garbage cans, they will eat anything put in front of them, my middle child has texture issues, meals often involve gagging, sometimes barfing. we have found a handful of lunch combos that work and we rarely stray from them for him. He knows now that lunch always composts of 2 fruit, 1 veggie, cheese, a main component (he’s on a sandwich kick right now) a treat and a filler, usually a banana muffin that I’ve managed to hide enough good stuff in and makes as healthy as possible without tipping him off. If it were up to him, he’d eat cucumbers, grapes, cheese and bread, all day every day.
Marnie says
February 24, 2012 at 2:18 pmComposts!!! I hate this friggin’ iPad!!! Consists!
Kmom2 says
February 24, 2012 at 2:35 pmLol Marnie!