Kids, Candy and School

[RickM]

The other day my daughter told me that she liked her substitute teacher of a week because she handed candy out to the kids.
I was taken aback as my wife and I are very careful with her diet.
Now i read this: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=519&ncid=519&e=1&u=/ap/20041108/ap_on_re_us/brf_candy_confusion


What about the parents? It shouldn't be up to the BOE or the teachers it should be up to the parents.

Thoughts?

[cantdrv55]

I agree with you. We limited our son's candy intake since he was little. The result? He has no real love for chocolate and most candies. He's 14 now and has never had a single cavity. He's still a chubster though. He is my son, after all.

[bryanthompson]

moderation, recess, gym class, decent lunches... I don't think a few pieces of candy is a big deal. I don't think kids should have to be bribed to do well in school, or to keep their mouths shut, but that's not really your issue here...

If it were like, cupcakes every day, and naptime instead of recess, then there could be a problem... I think obesity in kids isn't caused by responsible parents and a few pieces of candy at school.

[mikester]

You are the parent and the kids diet is your responsibility. If you don't want the teach to give out candy to your child then you have that right.

Call the teacher - inform her that she is not to give out candy to your child anymore and that she is not to single her out in any way for it.

[Overpaid Slacker]

Rick -
Nothing personal to you, you know... But it's this kind of thing that makes me not want to touch a teaching position with a ten foot cattleprod.

I'm not a parent, and don't particularly want to be ... but I'm familiar from a close distance w/ the mania parents develop for their kids. Are you not kind of itching for something to get all worked up about here?

I'm not talking about the million-to-one shot of giving a kid a small Snickers and then having the kid keel over from some anaphlyactic peanut allergy reaction (which type of medical conditions it's squarely the responsibility of the parents to inform the school AND each teacher). But just giving some candy to a kid?

If that's the threshhold for getting riled about something when you're a parent, it's probably a very good idea for me never to take up that particular hobby.

JP

[dhoward]

I agree with the Slackmeister
I've got three kids from 11 to 19. Don't sweat the small stuff. If that's all you have to worry about, I might suggest a xanax...

[RickM]

It's more the principle as I'm a pretty layed back person.
I find it ironic that the nurse at the school mentioned to my wife that my daughter should lose weight (this freaked my wife out) and a teacher is giving her candy, everyday.

While my daughter doesn't appear obese she could lose a couple of pounds and while her pediatrician is comfortable where she is, she'd also like to see a few pounds shed. BTW, she is a very active kid.

I caught wind of this about a week ago and the Yahoo report reminded me of my reaction.

Bottom line is I am concerned with my kid's future. The good eating habits that my wife and I reinforce daily are very important in preventing a lifetime of fighting a weight problem.

[bryanthompson]

None of us know your personal situation... But it's my belief that projecting a weight problem onto any child isn't a good thing. How many chubby kids did you know back in highschool/gradeschool that turned out to be slim & buff later in life? How many skinny "hot chicks" did you know that turned out to be total heifers? I think that in trying to fight a future weight problem, you could be planting the seeds for an eating disorder.

You do see fat kids with fat parents, all eating at McDonalds and whatnot... that's irresponsibility....your family doesn't sound anything like that, which is great.

[turbo6bar]

Agree with derSlacker, howard, thompson. Then again, I ain't gots no kids.

[badcar]

My wife is a teacher. She hands out the small candies as a reward for participation and good work. I know if any parent called, she would have no problem figuring out another type of reward...it's good to see an involved parent, I hear too many stories about those who don't even show up for conferences.

[Overpaid Slacker]

badcar -- I agree, if the parents are reasonable about it and laid-back in their presentation.

However, if as I suspect it would, it continues from "I don't want you to give MY kid candy," to "and you can't/shouldn't give candy to any of the other kids b/c then my kid will feel singled out, or like we're not allowing her to have candy b/c she's fat, etc." I'd flip my *****.

And, cynic that I am about human nature, I'd expect RickM to be in the minority in a laid back, non-aggressive, non-judgmental approach.

Sidebar - my g/f is student teaching now, and her supervising teacher accepted a bet with one of the kids in the class about the BoSox/Yanks series (a real loudmouth, this kid, so naturally a Sox fan). I cringed when I learned about this b/c I could just hear some sanctimonious parent (who never attended a PTA meeting or a school play) getting all bent about "gambling" in the classroom and what does that "teach kids" blah blah blah.

Now I made bets w/ my teachers way back in the day about this sort of thing, but today is a different world, esp. in NY Metro schools, and I've got no problem with it at all, other than that it just gives the hair-trigger self-rigtheous pinhead parent an easy way to take a cheap shot.

Oh, and the bet w/ this punk kid was for McDonald's breakfasts for a week or something like that -- can you imagine if the kid was obese (he may be, I don't know)? Holy Hell would break loose.

There are too many victim groups out there looking for a reason to bytch; it's too dangerous a minefield now to be a teacher if you want to have any fun or razz with your class the way my teachers did.

JP

[gaijinda]

If those kids treat the substitute teacher anything the way we did as kids, she will need every trick in the book. As the stick is no longer acceptable, the carrot in some form must do.

I doubt every kid was gorging on the stuff..just a small reward for something or other. Napolean was amazed what his soldiers would do for a bit of ribbon..

[RickM]

Actually my approach has been to sit down with my daughter and reason with her that moderation is best and ultimately up to her. For seven she shows remakable common sense, but it takes reinforcing. I also want her to be a happy, fun loving and well adjusted kid...it's all about balance.

I agree that teachers are in a tough position regarding protecting themselves from over zealous parents. Many of the parents I've met at the various functions seem pretty layed back. Much to my surprise.


Ok, time for me to go out and have 6 or 7 beers. LOL JK

[singpilot]

Rick;

Not to make light of your subject, but I would think candy in New Jersey schools would not be the thing I'd be worrying about right now.....

Seems there was a F-16 wing cannon incident last week?

[RickM]

Heh heh, good one. The military's review will be complete in a month. Then they'll offer possible solutions such as redirecting flight paths.

Any military installations in my neck of the woods?

[LeeH]

I'd be p!issed!

It's beyond me that the schools aren't required to be a model of nutrition. Let's see... kids are getting fat, but the schools are handing out candy and feeding them other junk. Amazing!

We're teaching our daughter (4.5 year old) about nutrition and have since she was old enough to understand the concept. She gets a treat daily, but it's a single piece of candy (or less) with her meals. We put it on the plate with the rest of the food. She usually eats it first. As a result there's no blood sugar spike and her dentist won't shut up about how clean her teeth are.

It blows me away that people don't see that offering candy as a reward is setting up a life long attitude - that warm feeling associated with praise gets tied to food! Feeling down? Need an emotional lift? EAT! All will be well!

Our daughter had to have blood drawn once. The nurse at the testing center was obviously annoyed at her crying. She says, "We usually give them a little treat and they quiet down." Yeah, I bet they do... while learning that if you're in pain you should stuff something in your mouth!

Sorry for the rant, but you hit a nerve. Our attitude is that she's ours to raise as we please. No matter how different or even off the wall our attitudes seem to anybody else, it's our right to do it our way.

[turbo6bar]

Lee, why don't you send your kid to school with a lunch sack? Liquor stores are all over the place, but I don't feel compelled to buy every time I pass.

[RickM]

Originally posted by turbo6bar
Lee, why don't you send your kid to school with a lunch sack? Liquor stores are all over the place, but I don't feel compelled to buy every time I pass.

My wife puts together a well balanced lunch for my daughter most every day. Then we find out they trade food amongst each other. Bottom line is we have to continue to educate and reinforce good habits.

[dhoward]

Originally posted by RickM
My wife puts together a well balanced lunch for my daughter most every day. Then we find out they trade food amongst each other. Bottom line is we have to continue to educate and reinforce good habits.

You're joking right?
This is a big revealation? Kids have been doing this since lunchtime was started by the Hostess company...

[RickM]

It's been so long I forgot...

Yodel anyone?