OT Vent: Really? That's a "snack" plate?!

 My daughter is 5. Her dance class is mostly 4-6-year-olds. They had a little party in class last week with "snacks".

The teacher, with 2 parent helpers, fixed a snack plate for every kid in the class. (I was not given any input on what went onto the plate.) The plate consisted of: a Krispy Kreme donut, an adult-sized piece of cake, oreo cookies, goldfish crackers, chicken drummies, a bag of chips and a mini cupcake.

WTH? Seriously? I see this over and over as she gets older and we do more parties/activities outside of school. (Her school is always junk-happy for holiday parties, but also always has fruit and other good things at parties.)

No ADULT needs a plate like that. Thankfully, my daughter actually doesn't have much of a sweet tooth. She inhaled the chicken, ate half the donut and some goldfish crackers and then said, "Mommy, do I have to eat the rest?" Uh, hell no. We left and I had grocery shopping to do anyway, so she finished out the day with samples or oranges, apples, cantaloupe, ham and cheese.


Sometimes I think we (parents) have lost sight of what a child-sized portion looks like. My best friend is a nurse, and her 3 kidlets (one who was recently diagnosed with Type I diabetes) are overweight. The youngest is SERIOUSLY overweight. (6 and over 100lbs.) Her 2 boys get ticked off at me, because when they're out to eat with me I get them a kid's meal, not an adult meal. That's a whole separate vent, though. (Including how my friend's MIL sabotages her by doing things like getting the kids 2 McRib sandwiches for a meal, feeding them a kid's meal as a "snack", and giving her son 20 units of insulin at a party to "cover whatever he wants to eat".)


ETA: I know this doesn't really belong here per se, I just needed to vent a bit. Hopefully no one minds. :)

I have noticed this as well, it is very very frustrating!

the good thing about my daughters school is they sent home a notice asking for bday and party type events try to be non-food centric.... I was like that is AWESOME!!!!

OMG. That is insane. I would have said something honestly. Then volunteered to co-ordinate the next party.

Do you know how many kids LOVE carrot sticks and ranch dressing? Fresh fruit? Ham and cheese on toothpicks? So easy...

I went to my girls' Halloween party. They had 6 stations, cupcake at one, gummies w cool whip at another, another w ice cream float. Why couldn't they do one a day for a week instead of in one setting??? These stations were after 2-3 pieces of pizza.

Unacceptable.

I'm going to be a helicopter parent. I already know it.

 Meh!  I am a helicopter parent.  Except when I'm being a neglectful parent.  Someone is always going to find something to call you, as a parent, but to hell with them!  Do what you feel is right for your kids.  :) 

 And then it's in the media everywhere about the childhood obesity epidemic.  REALLY?  You have to be kidding.....there's an epidemic? How the hell did that freakin' happen?  I fed my children on demand...as long as I knew they were hungry and not bored.  To beat it al, some smart ass WIC nurse, took one look at me, and because my children were always larger than kids their age, says....ohhh, they are taking after you, you're going to have to watch what you feed them.   Grrrrrrrrrr....all of my children are slilm and active adults, and all eat like horses.  They were not, however, allowed alot of sweets (halloween was the only exception, and mom and dad told them the candy bars had poison in them....LOL).

My scrawny husband is six three and LOVES anything green....as a result, the children had lots of greens, lots of fruits, and the OCCASIONAL sweet.  WTH is wrong with people?  Geeeshhh...just makes my blood boil!

 That is so infuriating!  My daughter has always been big for her age too and I have always worried about that.  But she is not going to live the life I lived where my only comfort as a child was food and I was all alone all the time!  She is not going to have the problems I had.  Grrrr!  

DAYUM!!!!

And they wonder why childhood obesity is a US epidemic!

Aren't they suposed to be teaching proper nutrition in schools?

I know the 6 year old's pain.  I have never been diabetic, but I was over 100 pounds in the first grade...my school days were very lonely, and I was smart, so I got the double-whammy of being the odd one out as a kid.  I turned into the class clown to compensate. 

Most of us who've battled life long obesity laugh to keep from crying, and go along to get along.