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When my older two started elementary school a few years back the birthday celebrations were like I remembered them from my youth. The birthday kid’s parents sent in homemade cookies or cupcakes and the last few minutes of the day we had a little party. We sang happy birthday and ate a couple bites of the treat. <— yep we didn’t scarf the whole thing down because we were excited to get out and play!
Fast forward a couple years and birthday celebrations have been banned {if they involves food} at my daughters school. You can still bring a pencil for everyone and hand that out as a celebration. The ban on cupcakes was an evolution and went something like this. It started with no homemade foods. Then it evolved into only allowing store bought foods that were “healthy” but by healthy I mean they fit within some hastily put together food percentages. Like, no more than 50% fat, and 40% sugar etc. But high sodium and white flour is a-okay. Then it turned into no food at all.
I am all for healthy eating…. we work hard in our home to eat tons of organic fruits and veggies and healthy fats. I totally get it, eating healthy is important, but so is being a kid.
By doing my job as a parent I make sure my kids have healthy, balanced meals so that the random birthday splurge is okay. I don’t want them feeling deprived and then eating junk food as soon as they are on their own in college. I am teaching them to make healthy choices so that they have the skills to make healthy choices in adulthood.
I would love if the schools taught healthy eating and living instead of policing food.
Their method is not working. Education lasts a lifetime. Banning a food lasts seconds.
Then I saw a news story today about a little boy who’s school wouldn’t let his parents serve cupcakes that had little green army men on them because they had guns. We are a toy gun free home. I have 3 girls, they were never into that anyways, but I just felt it was the right thing for our family… but I have no problem with the army men. They are a historical figure and a staple in little kids lives. Used as a lesson of our countries history little green army men are a good tool. Again, a teachable moment lost.
How do you all feel? Should schools ban cupcakes on a nutritional basis?
What about the green army men… should they have been banned too?
I really don’t think the school has any authority to police what my child eats. An occasional treat is not bad. Granted it would be nice if parents had the intelligence NOT to send their child in with junkfood every single day. As far as the green army men, I’d call banning those the height of stupidity. There used to be a time when we looked up to those protecting our country.
Totally agree! I’ve seen what some kids bring and it’s very sad… but not the schools place to police. We need more food education!
I agree with everything you have said. Schools and the Government have gone to far. They are trying to control every aspect of our lives. Kids no longer can just be kids and have simple joys like a yummy little treat….a cupcake. All this does by policing the children is make them want it more. Banning is not the way to go about it. teaching healthy choices as you do in the home is the key to success. Personally, I know if I am told I can not have something, than I want it even more. I end up overeating that item. That ends up not be healthy or wise.
Barbara that is exactly how I feel. Everything in moderation. I’m more concerned about pesticides and GMO’s than sugar. Sugar can be “dealt” with… it’s called exercise! I think the schools should stick with education and leave parenting to the parents!
Yes…. yes…. I agree with that all. GMO’s and pesticides are going to get us all sick a sweet little treat. from time to time is not. All in moderation. Things have gotten so out of control. Let the parents do the parenting.
Said perfectly Barbara!
That would be great if parents actually stepped up to the plate and took parenting more seriously. I see kids every day who have un involved parents. I think everyone who says “Teachers should teach and let parents do the parenting” should have to do my job on a rainy day.
The government should stick to solving the economy something they are still struggling with, just can’t do that right now can they, so what gives them the bright idea they can solve childhood obesity, besides it isn’t the cupcakes that are the problem it is the lack of activity, with video games, computer, TV, movies, it is sit, sit, sit instead of play out door activities. Just saying.
Absolutely, totally, 100% agree! We need to get our kids moving again! Technology is awesome for our minds… but our bodies need exercise!
I think it’s not right to bam cupcakes/cakes for birthday celebrations. I mean, what’s next? ban on everything that’s not water related? I would’ve been a mad kid if that had happened when I was growing up. there’s no need for it. cupcakes/cakes can still be healthy! and if they aren’t, it’s not like the kids are eating it for every meal!
and the little green army men ban is ridiculous!!! those little figurines are staples of what the US is!! how long have they been around and never caused any problems! the local/state governments are going to make everything worse, in my opinion
Totally agree! I can make a “healthier” cupcake too… which would have been tons better than the store bought one {health wise}! As for the green men are total staples of everything we stand for!
What pisses me off to no end is the fact that the school doesn’t allow a parent to bring in a treat for their child’s birthday, but… the school provides ice cream to the kids for school authorized parties. How is this any different? If the school is going to ban cupcakes, candy and other unhealthy foods, they should absolutely be doing the same.
The whole thing has gone so far out of control. I agree that they should be helping make good choices. A cupcake on a birthday isn’t going to kill anyone. Besides, do you know any kids who actually eat an entire cupcake? And the army men issue… oh please. Seems to me there is more violence today than we ever had when we were kids.
You got it Carolyn! It’s gone too far… we have cake with the principal… yet cupcakes are not okay? Please! Isn’t that the truth about the violence. Something needs to change… and I want that change to be back to the way it was when we were kids!
They tried this in our school district. One year they decided to ban cupcakes and there was a big uproar. Guess what? The next year they weren’t banned anymore. I usually send my child in with Munchkins for his birthday.
Cecile I would love if they dropped this rule, but instead they just keep adding more of them!
Ugggghhhh, drives me insane!!! This is my little guy’s first year in school, but I have been a nanny for 12 years and am very aware of all of the recent games changes when it comes to food in schools. So a couple days before my son’s birthday I called over to the school to check see what we were “allowed” to bring… Come to find out, if we want to bring something in we must fill out a form and forward it to the school nurse 2 weeks in advance for approval. This is not to say that it will get approved, because most things won’t!!! I was livid, seeing as though I did not even have the time to do this as it was now 2 days before his birthday. So instead I begrudgingly went and put together some “party favors” with all non-edible items. I was so disappointed =( To top that all off, for all other holiday parties etc., we get a note sent home requesting each child bring a particular item… The list usually contains the following items: pretzels, crackers, goldfish, paper plates, cups, napkins, waters… Sounds like an awesome party to me, not!!! Such a bummer!!
Kate it drives me insane too. I think it’s funny that they are asking for processed junk food under the disguise of it being more healthy. I think that a good homemade cupcake is better than a bunch of chemicals 🙂 Especially if you let them play and burn off the sugar afterwards!
We can’t send homemade goods, which I guess I understand but don’t like. If they get rid of the cupcakes or chips for birthdays my Boy will be very unhappy.
I couldn’t believe that article about the boy’s cupcakes. Soldiers shouldn’t be seen as offensive.
Laura you got that right! Soldiers are hero’s!
I find it funny how the things that most if us were raised on is now inappropriate! We are still fighting a war, soldiers are dying daily to provide us with these crazy freedoms…no army men, no cupcakes, gun control, soda police, and the list goes on. If the schools really want to start with nutrition reform lets truly look at school lunches, snack bar issues, soda machines etc in school. I remember being in high school and getting chips and soda daily for lunch as I was limited those items at home. Once you ban or limit an item the unhealthy obsession is created…most people will eat, to excess those items that are forbidden. We all need to realize that diets don’t work, forbidden foods are unreal, just ask Adam and Eve, and if we can teach our children healthy balanced eating and personal tolerance for others what a happier, well educated, and more tolerate generation we will have!
Very well said Vicki on all parts! This is exactly how I am raising my girls…
I quite honestly think it is all crap! My children go to school to learn things from books and to learn socialization skills. Their diet and stuff depends on me. I don’t see where cupcakes are a huge deal, if anything, have parents fill out a thing if they don’t feel their child should have this kind of thing because there are a lot more parents that will be ok with it than ones that won’t. As far as Army Men go, that is ridiculous too. So children can’t have little toys. When i was little (and yes I am a female) I had little green army men and I had dart guns, I used to shoot the army men with my dart gun. I have never so much as been in a fight in my life. The more they make these things seem wrong to children, the more curious they will be. So instead of teaching things, they just want to pique curiousity and cause more problems. A 7 year old boy in a school in my old neighborhood got suspended for 2 days because he was trying to bite has toaster pastry into the shape of a mountain, his teacher walked by, said it looked like a gun, took it out of the boys hands and threw it away. I will say this, no teacher will ever take my child’s food away when they are trying to eat or they will deal with serious repercussions. It’s not like the principal had proof of this alleged act when he suspended the boy seeing as the teacher threw it in the trash. People are taking things way over board and are trying to raise an even more weak nation. People need to grow a set and stop trying to kill children’s imagination!
Michelle, it’s getting crazy and out of hand… all of what you are saying is a sad truth on where we are headed. I take my job as a mom very seriously and make my decisions based on what is best for my family. Even the best teachers or administrators can not know what I know… so how can they police their diets? That is crazy about that 7 year old!
The main reason for banning certain foods from being brought to school is due to food allergies. It is very hard to have children in the class who are not able to eat the home made treats because they are not gluten free…..they are made with a peanut product…..the child is a diabetic……the list goes on and on. While it seems like an unfair practice it really is for the good of all the children. The kids can enjoy fruit or veggies. And what child doesnt enjoy getting a small treat? Decorative pencils,erasers-they come in all shapes,there are many items that can be enjoyed. And remember…it is not always the school that sets the policies on food…some of us can thank our State for that too.
LOL! You are right… I should thank our state too! In this situation it is mostly the school and it’s not because of allergies. Just a poor attempt at promoting health.
I get that, however, when I was a kid, we did have kids in the class that had allergies or were diabetic. Know what they did instead of changing all the cupcakes? They made parents aware of it and they brought a special substitute treat for that child. I “get” that we should be aware of other people and children with allergies. I don’t get or agree with making the world revolve around it. Sure, it is easy to accommodate and make it all equal, but it is not realistic and I believe sends the wrong message. The world will not accommodate us, we must assimilate to the world. I am diabetic and have a child with food allergies myself and I would not expect the world to bend to me or my child. I bend to the world and teach my child to do the same. This is not a popular opinion, but I really do feel very strongly about this.
this is the last year for my youngest daughter at a k-8 school. they have not allowed homemade treats for at least 5 years now. i’m not sure how the green army men would fare though. i do know that since my daughter was on academic restriction at school, she was not allowed to go to a dr. seuss assembly where all the kids got a cupcake. so no cupcakes either. i guess they don’t really have anything to take away from them besides the assemblies, because at high school assemblies aren’t part of the restriction. my daughter has add-inattention so i’m used to her being on academic restriction now and again. last year was one of her best years, but i thank part of that to her teacher. i feel like so much has changed since i was in school: we had the homemade snacks, we didn’t have super strict dress codes (i wore a spaghetti strap tank top and those dolphin-type running shorts. dolphin shorts were from the 80s). then again, no one got distracted by the clothing. the only people i think getting distracted by kids’ clothing are parents and teachers, because they’re the only ones complaining.
Pam it is so different from when we are kids. We know better in a lot of ways, but we don’t use that knowledge to do better. Sad.
My daughter’s school bans ALL birthday treats. She is in third grade and is not allowed to bring any treats or even hand out invitations. I think the schools are missing the boat. They say they don’t want children to feel left out if their parents can’t afford to send treats. I feel that the children whose parents can’t send treats would be even more grateful to receive treats from someone else. Our entire culture is becoming so afraid of offending an individual that we have lost all sense of what childhood is about. Joy, sharing, fun, and yes, the occasional cupcake!
Right! Kids are only kids once and they deserve fun and joy!
I could understand if it were foods that had common allergens in them. I’m afraid to even send my kid to school in a couple of years because of his food allergies. Children have died because of the carelessness of other parents.
Absolutely… allergies would be a good reason for the ban and I would support it {especially if there was a child in the class or grade since they all eat together} but that’s not the case here. It’s strictly the school “trying” to be a health leader… epic failure!
The problem is that if you say it’s for the allergy kids, people proceed to get attitudes and say my kid should “learn to live in the real world”. When citing nutrition as the reason, it suddenly becomes a “best for everyone thing”.
(From the mom of an egg-allergic 3rd grader who thankfully likes getting to eat from his treat box because he almost never can eat what people send in!)
here in mo they are not allowed to bring nothing any more but they allow candy like like the chcoh and the sutff you buy in the store
That’s funny Desiree… candy but no baked goods? Silly schools!
I definitely think that schools need to be doing more to promote health and exercise, but certainly don’t think there is anything wrong with an occasional treat. I can understand the ban on homemade, because not everyone holds the same standards that I might on cleanliness. But store bought treats shouldn’t be an issue.
Totally agree! At least allowing store bought treats would be a good step!
What makes me laugh is that my daughter’s school is the same way but they serve pizza and cookies for lunch. We are a no junk food family, we have sweets for holidays and birthdays though. The other day my daughter called me because her water bottle exploded and ruined her lunch. I told her to grab a salad and she insisted that all they served was ranch dressing, yet on her birthday she was not allowed to bring in apple muffins that were whole wheat, gluten and allergy free…..I don’t know what to say.
Doesn’t make sense does it? I had lunch at my daughters school a month or so again… it was inedible. The salad was lettuce and ranch.
Personally, I think that the only foods that schools should be able to ban are ones that students may be allergic to (like peanuts). Otherwise, they should stick to offering healthy foods of their own and educating on the way to eat healthy.
They should NOT be banned. My son is in kindergarten. His school cafeteria…i don’t know why it’s called that..they COOK nothing. All the “HOT” items are microwaved in pre-packaged bags. The “fruit” is canned, in syrup, over processed junk. They have a choice of juice, chocolate milk or milk. I don’t feed my son this food ever. In our house it’s considered bad junk food. It’s sad…our schools are no longers schools..they are an instituition that ranks themselves and is more worried about what the statistics and over testing of the children says. OH..i could go on and on!!!!
I agree with you! Part of the fun of being a kid is getting to celebrate your birthday in school (if you’re not a summer baby, which I was). My son’s school has banned cupcakes from the start. His teacher last year was more flexible. I think she had tenure or something, lol. In any case, she wasn’t worried about breaking the rules occasionally. They even used icing to learn about mixing colors, and then got to eat it.
I think educating would do so much more than banning. It’s a treat for goodness sakes. Though I never understood why I had to bring the treat on my bday lol
I think an occasional treat is not a problem. I agree, educating people on proper nutrition is a much better way to handle things. Schools have much more important things they should be worrying about, like the bullying problem, and their own lunches being prefabricated.
Linette you got that one right! The school lunches are horrible… at least here. Pizza that is cardboard and no fresh choices.
We never had these restrictions when my children were in school. Now that my grandchildren have started going I’m hearing about more and more interference in their lives. I personally think just about every aspect of our lives have become way too regulated. While I understand that peanut allergies and the like are concerns that need to be addressed, I do not believe that these birthday cupcake bans are in any way related to that. It’s quite ridiculous.
This is interesting and ridiculous…they do need to educate before they ban completely!
Schools need to educate! It’s ridiculous the rules and restrictions in schools now a days. When I was in school there weren’t so many ridiculous rules and restrictions. Probably why I have fond memories of my childhood especially at school.
I think it’s crazy for the schools to say what your child can or cannot eat, not only are they dictating what goes in our bodies but also what the children think. When I was in school I always thought it was a great treat when we had a class birthday party of sorts. Now kids cant even do that. I mean who really wants a pencil as a celebration of their birthday?!? If we vote on everything else, so to speak, why don’t we just vote on this issue as well?!
My little boy just turned 3 this past weekend and was allowed to bring tiny cupcakes to share with his classmates the following Monday. I think what schools are trying to get away from is “homemade goods” due to health scares. But yes, schools are going too far in the way of what our children are allowed to eat. I understand asking if a child has allergies such as milk, peanuts or chocolate, but cutting cupcakes and cookies out all together for birthdays is just plain ridiculous.
I think the cupcake ban is ridiculous. I still remember how exciting it was to know your mom would be bringing in cupcakes on your birthday. Of course, it was exciting when it wasn’t even your birthday. I think it’s nice to have unexpected surprises during the school year. And all those cupcakes didn’t thwart my ability to learn or negatively affect my health. Schools and parents are becoming too uptight about a number of issues, cupcakes being just one. I say, bring on the cupcakes.
You cant take cupcakes away but you can make them with healthier ingedients
You just can’t ban cupcakes…. are they kidding me???
It’s crazy to take that tradition away from children. Plus, if cupcakes and candy are taboo, they suddenly become something a child will sneak or barter for if another child has brought in his lunch. It seems to be a trend where “authority” wants to police our eating/drinking habits.
Schools have overall gotten out of hand with all foods. My children and I have food allergies and we would NEVER deny anyone else what we cannot eat. It isn’t their fault so why should they be blamed? We bring treats that we can eat and they have theirs. I remember in school growing up it was the best day in a world when a parent or teacher brought in treats for the class. Nowadays it is all box junk. Even being a Celiac, I prefer home-made over box! It might be a treat but it should still taste good. Why are we getting rid of all our childhood memories??
I agree. I am diabetic and my child has egg allergies. I would never think the world should bend for me or my child. Why deny the whole class? I get nut allergies, because even just dust from nuts can cause issues, but that is easy to eliminate from treats.
The schools are going way to overboard in their ideas of what good & not good for Children.. They can teach healthy eating but not to have an occassional cookie or cupcake for a special celebration , thats just crazy.. They are really taking the no weapon policy way out of range..Toy Soldiers on a cupcake!! Banned!! Now I have heard everything….
When my son was in Jr. Kindergarten, he came home from school and told me he was starving. I asked if if he had eaten his lunch and his snack. He said the teacher took away his snack (chocolate pudding) and gave him some Bits and Bites (which he did not eat). I called the teacher and she told me it was because the pudding was unhealthy. Yes, she took away a milk product and gave my son a handful of sodium!! I am an RN, and let me tell you I was furious. First of all, she overrode my decision to give my son a low fat milk product to fill him full of sodium which is reduced in our household. I had to go as far as threatening to go to the school board to get a ruling before she agreed that he could have pudding, which he refused to eat for the longest time because the teacher told him “it was bad for him.” I think teachers need to meet with parents before making these unilateral decisions.
It is so sad that the world we live in has to make these kind of bans. Unfortunately it only takes one child to get sick or one parent to complain to adopt these rules. My understanding is that ALL homemade foods are banned. It may also have to do with so MANY kids being diagnosed with several different allergies too.
I miss sending cupcakes!!!!!!!!!!!!
I really don’t think the school has any authority to police what my child eats. there is nothing wrong with a treat once in awhile.
I don’t think schools should police what children eat. That should be up to the parents.
I’m not sure what the schools here are doing as far as birthday parties and such. My son is just two so it will be a few years until I have to deal with that. I have heard of many bans because of food allergies. If it’s just for overall health, however, I don’t see the reason for the schools to be so uptight. Parents need to be the ones teaching their kids good food choices!
Banning cupcakes is ridiculous!!!!! Healthy eating begins at home. Having an occasional.cupcake or sweet is what being a kid is all about. its up to parebts to determine what their kid can or cannot eat.
I am so glad that our schools haven’t banned store bought cupcakes and treat bags For holidays. There is always one miserable person out there who has to ruin things for everyone else. If they can’t have something, or don’t want their kids to do/ have something, then their attitude is that nobody should have it. The entitlement attitude some people have, is getting old.
Entitlement attitude? I seriously hope you’re not accusing any of us with children with life-threatening allergies as having an entitlement attitude because they “can’t have something”…
I haven’t read all of the other comments so this may be redundant, but how are the schools going to ban cupcakes and then feel that what most of them serve in their cafeterias is any better? Most of the hot meals that te schools serve are anything BUT healthier than the “junk” sent in for a once in a while celebration.
I don’t really think the ban on foods for Birthday celebrations from schools is entirely due to a healthy food choice. I worked here in my town in the school classrooms. Eventually we had to stop all homemade items brought in for any party or celebration because of FOOD ALLERGIES. We allow store bought items but they have to pass the school nurse first. One reason for this was an incident in our kindergarten class. We had a girl with a SEVERE PEANUT ALLERGY. One of the teachers didn’t bring in food but she cut posterboard crowns out at her home on a counter after she made a recipe involving peanuts. This little girl the next day put the crown on her head and just due to a powder residue inhaled it and had to be rushed to get a shot and go home. Yes many school policies in the cafateria are changing but I believe most the celebrations are due to not knowing which child may have an allergic reaction and preventing that.
I think as a country we have gotten completely out of hand in our strive to make everyone “healthy” rather than just teaching good habits, and making the resources available. Everyone still has their choice on what to eat. It makes me crazy.
I’m extremely sad that I can’t send in home baked goods for my kids birthday – but I can go to the store and buy even more sugary treats to pass out. No restrictions here on that yet…it just can’t be homemade 🙁
Feed sugary treats to your kids at home-don’t send them to school for my kid to eat! My son’s school has no ban on such foods, and so he gets a cupcake, cookie, doughnut, cup of ice cream or slice of cake for every birthday in his class (summer birthdays get to bring in treats toward the end of the year too, of course). Plus you have all the holidays added to the number: halloween, thanksgiving, christmas, easter, valentines day. And why not add the day the teacher leaves for maternity leave? And the Friday that is sub’s last day?…gotta serve cake then too. And Monday when the teacher on leave returns to her class. Plus, your class won the school spirit competition! Lets celebrate with….hmmmm….cupcakes! Great idea; lets teach our children that anytime something good happens they should gorge on sugar! So now lets do the math. Number of school days divided by 5 to equal the number of weeks he’s in school this year…wow, it just happens to be equal to the number of times my son got handed a doughnut.
Now lets add in the out of school occasions….birthday parties, holiday parties, sports team events, treat at grandma’s house every time he visits, treat at other grandma’s house every time he visits, monthly BBQ with the neighbors, graduation party, wedding, anniversary party…the list goes on and on. So yes, having a cupcake at school is a big deal because that is not the only place they ever get sugar. I want to be able to send my kid to a birthday party knowing he didn’t already have doughnuts twice that week. I want to be able to go out as a family for a special treat once in a while. Currently I can’t. He gets more than enough sugar at school from a bunch of people I don’t even know.
His school is so great about teaching healthy eating habits at lunch time: no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives, low fat and low sugar, wheat instead of white. Therefore it’s surprisingly hypocritical to be teaching healthy eating habits yet allowing parents to bring excessively sugared foods to the classroom. Such foods are a SOMETIMES treat. And a birthday is totally a SOMETIMES occasion! But reserve your loaded sugar snack for your kid’s party at home. Have cake that night as a family if it falls on a school day. My kid doesn’t need to eat 30 cupcakes at school this year. You want to celebrate at school? Bring in 100% fruit popsicles or opt for dollar store packs of superhero and My Little Pony activity pads and a cool pencil. Guess what?…they get to KEEP that, not gorge for 2 minutes and then be on sugar high till their bodies poop out.
I’m all about teaching my child healthy eating habits. And we do do treats. We aren’t so ‘granola’ that we don’t allow him to have sugar. But when and what he gets is OUR decision as his parents, not the decision of classmates’ parents. I spend the time every day to send him a nutritious lunch to feed his body what it needs to have a great day of learning at school. It is not your place to give my child junk food.
I totally agree about feeding our kids food that fuels them, and the occasional treat, but I think it’s been taken too far.
Alicia, don’t you think that you are advocating for the exact thing that you don’t want? Having other parents decide what your son can and can’t eat. By saying that YOU don’t want sweets at school because you don’t want your son eating them is worse than others bringing sweets and offering them to your son {who can decline and opt for something that you deem healthier}.
By saying that there should be no sweets you are telling my child what she cannot have. You are taking away my decision making for my child. In the real world people are offered all types of food. It’s our job as parents to acknowledge this and to individually teach our kids what to eat and what not to. If this is as important to you as your enthusiasm on the subject appears than I’m sure you are doing a great job teaching your son your families way of eating. And I’m sure he would decline the sugary item and opt for a healthier item that you keep at the school for him in these situations… much like my girls do when they are offered an item with meat.
If you are for protecting your right as a parent to decide please remember that it goes both ways.
I’m with Alicia!! And there is a mountain of scientific evidence to support her position. I am absolutely shocked by all the parents vehemently arguing that kids should have cupcakes at school on this thread. They already get way too much of that stuff outside of school. In case no one has noticed, we are in the middle of a public health crisis. Young children cannot be expected to refuse sugary treats and other junk. Putting them in that position is unfair. Heather, no one is saying that your child can’t have sweets in her lunchbox or outside of school. If you want to pack her a cupcake, go for it! But when you provide junk food to other people’s children, you are potentially undermining what those parents may be trying to teach their child. You are not taking into account what other foods that child may or may not have had that day. What if that child is going to a birthday party for school? Or had a donut for breakfast? What if she gets no healthy food at home–EVER? Please be respectful of our children’s health and other families.
Shelley, I understand what you are saying… but I think the same could be said for the other sides argument. Why should other people decide what my child can’t have? And in regards to children turning down sugary food… mine do all the time. My oldest is a vegan and has no problem saying no to cupcakes if they are made with animal products. Even my three year old will say no to a cookie if she knows she’s already had one or we are going out for a treat later in the day. From the moment they were born they have been taught about healthy eating and they understand it’s a treat to have occasionally. She even says out loud “will this make me healthy” as she decides food to eat. I really believe that giving them an occasional treat and teaching them about food choices will raise healthy eaters for a lifetime than mandating that no treats are allowed and then once they go off to college they binge eat junk food.
Also, worst case scenario is that 25 times a year they get a school treat. That is 25 times out of 365 days. Cutting this out will not end the problem of those with weight problems. Educating them will.
I think we are both on the same side here… we just are seeing the solution in different ways.
All I have to say is our counrty used to be fine growing up as a kid. Now all I have to say about this country is that the government needs to get their heads out of their ass, end of story.