Snacks are snacks and dessert is dessert

ashleyaugust7

I do think the group snack issue is being played to death around here.  But, at the same time, who is sending in Oreos or Little Debbie cupcakes for a snack?  I am genuinely curious- clearly they are desserts, right?

In my mind snacks are things like: goldfish crackers, pretzels, veggies/dip (my daughter would not touch it but still), fruit, yogurt/gogurt, string cheese, granola, granola bar, clif bar, pirates booty, muffins, fruit leather, and a ton of other things I am not thinking of right now

Desserts are things like: doughnuts, cakes, cupcakes, cookies, m&ms, etc

This is coming from someone whose daughter does not like veggies and loves chocolate, and eats a little bit of a sweet most days.  I am not a food militant by any stretch.  But to send those things to school where it is part of the nutrition they need to get through the day?  Who is sending these things?

(ETA: this is not a problem/complaint about DD's school- no issues there.  an observation based on other posts around here)

MotherBucker

Aren't most Little Debbie Items called "snacks"?

 

That's what they are to me....snacks. Do I want my preK kid eating one every day? No. But once a week? I don't see the issue.

 

 Most of the issues that people are complaining about here regarding K and preK make me think that it must be hell living with them if they nitpick each and every little thing the way some school issues are nitpicked over.  

ridesbuttons

Perhaps the prevalence of these types of sweet snacks is exaggerated on the boards. 

I wouldn't send Oreos, even though I am sure my kid/s would love that.  I would send something healthy, even though my kid/s are unlikely to eat it.

I figure, sooner or later they will get hungry enough to eat the good stuff if that is all that is in front of them.

 

ghm

I'd say it's a pretty common snack around here--lower income and I don't think most people are educated on nutrition. To me it's a treat, but I think a lot of people think it's an acceptable (regular) snack. I personally wouldn't be happy if my kid was eating it on a daily basis in school. I do let my kids have treats regularly, but small portions of them--not an entire little debbie snack cake (plus, I can make something way yummier than that!)

ashleyaugust7

MotherBucker:

Aren't most Little Debbie Items called "snacks"?

 

That's what they are to me....snacks. Do I want my preK kid eating one every day? No. But once a week? I don't see the issue.

 

 Most of the issues that people are complaining about here regarding K and preK make me think that it must be hell living with them if they nitpick each and every little thing the way some school issues are nitpicked over.  

I am with you on the complaining and nitpicking.  I guess I am just arguing semantics over snacks vs dessert but Little Debbie to me equals dessert.  I have no problem with dessert, but I don't necessarily want it served at school (unless a bday or something else).  DD's school does not allow chocolately or sugary snacks as a daily snack, so it is not a personal issue, but one that I am surprised to hear from a lot of moms here.

ghm

I just can't imagine why a teacher would want 25 5 year olds hyped up on sugar! 

Plus little debbie snacks are messy!  

shopgirl78

Re:  the little debbie cupcakes and donuts

Like I am said I am a sub (who works another FT job) so I don't see everyday but the donuts wear bought as part of CBI (community based instruction - learning social skills in the community) and the debbie cakes were bought by the teacher and that seemed to be the norm for her classroom (which i imagine is a lot out of pocket for her, so she goes with cheaper snacks, i dunno).  They were festive for the season so maybe that's why.

When DD was in PreK, the teacher (whom I loved) suggested a lot of fruit snacks, dry cereal, stuff like that and I am sure they were not organic : )  We live in a small town and its a title 1 school (all of them are around here), so imagine its harder for some people to purchase other types of foods and/or that's their norm.

I wouldn't throw a fit over Oreo's once a week for my children.   

juniper19

ghm:

I'd say it's a pretty common snack around here--lower income and I don't think most people are educated on nutrition. To me it's a treat, but I think a lot of people think it's an acceptable (regular) snack. I personally wouldn't be happy if my kid was eating it on a daily basis in school. I do let my kids have treats regularly, but small portions of them--not an entire little debbie snack cake (plus, I can make something way yummier than that!)

I think that's the issue.  Different ideas about what is appropriate.  Even OP, who is against Little Debbies, and I have a different idea about healthy.  I think a Cliff Bar, fruit leather and Pirate Booty is junk too.  I wouldn't put them in the same category as fruits and veggies and all things being equal I would prefer my kid not have those items in his snack at school (although I wouldn't complain to the school about it if he did).

And I'm not anti-junk.  I give my kid Booty and granola bars and sugary treats, but they are treats to me.

AnnapolisLari

Am I thrilled with DS getting goldfish and juice or cookies and chocolate milk 3x a week? No.

Do I say anything? No.

I just bring yogurt tubes and squeezy applesauce when it's my turn to bring in the snack.

ghm

juniper19:

ghm:

I'd say it's a pretty common snack around here--lower income and I don't think most people are educated on nutrition. To me it's a treat, but I think a lot of people think it's an acceptable (regular) snack. I personally wouldn't be happy if my kid was eating it on a daily basis in school. I do let my kids have treats regularly, but small portions of them--not an entire little debbie snack cake (plus, I can make something way yummier than that!)

I think that's the issue.  Different ideas about what is appropriate.  Even OP, who is against Little Debbies, and I have a different idea about healthy.  I think a Cliff Bar, fruit leather and Pirate Booty is junk too.  I wouldn't put them in the same category as fruits and veggies and all things being equal I would prefer my kid not have those items in his snack at school (although I wouldn't complain to the school about it if he did).

And I'm not anti-junk.  I give my kid Booty and granola bars and sugary treats, but they are treats to me.

I do agree with you. They're still full of sugar, just perhaps a bit more natural. I roll my eyes at the people who want to act like their whole wheat chocolate chip cookies are a healthy snack, just because they're full of organic sugar and eggs and whole wheat flour. Still junk.

Anyway, I guess since this issue has been going on for the last few weeks, I've decided that it's not the biggest deal in the world. I wouldn't be happy, but I'd keep my  mouth shut about it. Other parents might get annoyed with me sending in something their child doesn't like, you know?

My ex-bf used to bring her own food to my birthday parties--muffins for her kids, food, etc. It was offensive to me. Then she got so upset when another family brought their own cupcakes to her son's birthday party--because she had organic cupcakes, damnit, and how dare they act like they're better than her? I told her she did the same thing to me, but in her mind it was different.

Anywho, every parent does have the right to send what's approved by the school, and it's not my place to decide what each kid can send. I don't know the parent's situation--perhaps it's all they can afford, perhaps it's what they think is an acceptable snack.

I made the choice to send my kid to public school, and while I reserve the right to raise my voice about legitimate complaints, I feel like I need to sit back and let things just run their course. I knew going in that I wouldn't love everything about it, but I'm happy overall, and if I wasn't happy, I would be free to withdraw my son and continue homeschooling.

Um, that was such a tangent. Sorry guys! 

ghm

-auntie-:

I think a couple of things are at play.

In some places where the snack is provided by families in turn, parents let the child select the option. Children will choose "popular" items to boost their own cred in school. This was the case in DS's preschool. Y

 

I agree with this. When it was E's turn to bring snacks for tball, I let him choose. I think he chose capri suns, variety pack of individual lays chips, and fruit snacks. He wanted to bring what other people were bringing, and I certainly didn't want to make him the odd man out when he showed up with fresh broccoli, you know?  

ashleyaugust7

Auntie, I agree on a lot of the comparisons with what one would be surprised to find out had more sugar than a supposedly 'worse' option.  But I also consider what my child is getting out of the food item- so if a clif bar for instance, has more sugar than a rice cake, I am okay with that because she is getting more vitamins, protein, etc out of the Clif Bar. 

But yes, it isn't always as simple as muffin is better than doughnut.

GinandTonic

I don't think it's as easily defined and it's your job to make everything even out in the end - whether that's the end of the day or the end of the week.

DS likes the Little Debbie pumpkin treats.  They're only out for a certain amount of time and I do buy them for him.  If I send one as a snack/dessert for lunch, he also gets a "healthier" snack as well - squeezy yogurt or some grapes or something (he's pretty picky - it's limited).  He also doesn't get something junky later for dessert.

I try to keep track.  I'm not always successful because he's not with me 24 hours a day anymore.  But I also don't think 2 Oreos as a snack once a week is the end of the world.

ridesbuttons

ghm:

-auntie-:

I think a couple of things are at play.

In some places where the snack is provided by families in turn, parents let the child select the option. Children will choose "popular" items to boost their own cred in school. This was the case in DS's preschool. Y

 

I agree with this. When it was E's turn to bring snacks for tball, I let him choose. I think he chose capri suns, variety pack of individual lays chips, and fruit snacks. He wanted to bring what other people were bringing, and I certainly didn't want to make him the odd man out when he showed up with fresh broccoli, you know?  

Yeah, hanging the kid out to dry with a bad snack can present a bigger problem lasting longer than the 15 minute actual snack time.

I don't deal with this at school: everyone brings their own lunch and snack.  But at soccer this summer each parent provided snack once.  However, it was the same (slight variation) thing every time.  Cold fruit, juice box or frozen juice treat, yoghurt or similar.  Nobody that I saw (and there were 20 teams of 4 year olds) brought prepackaged cakes or cookies of any description.

But, it was soccer, not school.

shouldbworkin

I think it gets really hard when you're trying to pick things that are nut free.  Our list of recommended snacks leaves much to be desired (pop tarts, really?).  But, they are known nut free items and "safe" so I guess they'd rather see things like that.  I think it's also hard when everything has to be store bought.  B/c both kids' rooms are nut free, I like to make them soynut butter cracker sandwiches (whole wheat).  I think it's a decent snack, but couldn't bring that in for everyone.  I'd much rather bring in WW PB cracker sandwich packets for snack with some fruit vs. teddy grahams, but it's not an option.

happy_momma

No, I really don't think it's that simple.  For a lot of people (me included) snack versus dessert is about WHEN something is eaten, not WHAT is eaten. Dessert is something (usually sweet) after a meal.  Snack is something between meals - could be sweet or not sweet.

 And even if dessert=sweet, it's still not going to be clear cut.  A chocolate  chip granola bar or graham crackers are considered sweet and dessert to one person, but snack to another person.

ashleyaugust7

Yeah, hanging the kid out to dry with a bad snack can present a bigger problem lasting longer than the 15 minute actual snack time.

I hadn't really considered this because of the snack rules at DD's school.  Interesting!  Although pretty telling about nutrition these days that kids are already expecting certain snacks over others and judging about it in K.

AnnapolisLari

As an adjunct to the peanut free part of the discussion, I contacted Nabisco about those Newtons Thins-- they are all nut free and Nabisco does not process nuts on the same lines as the Thins.

Just an additional option if you're in nut free classrooms like we are. They're a bit sweet and slightly cookieish, but they are made with whole grain and no preservatives. The kids loved the blueberry ones.

penguingrrl

DDs school did away with parents bringing food in altogether and while I don't love what they give all the time, it's not little debbie or cookies so I'm okay with it (not in love, but okay). Julia came home talking about how they had "different crackers" one day last week that were small and orange, so I'm thinking they were cheese-its. Not something I would ever buy or choose to give her for snack, but not a deal breaker for an otherwise great school.

I do love that instead of parents bringing in stuff for birthdays (which was really showing kids who had versus who didn't) the kids bake a cake together and that's snack that day. Parents aren't allowed to bring *anything* in and teachers handle all the birthday celebrations because things were getting out of hand and they want each kid to get the same school celebration. I'm in love with that mindset because there are vastly different financial situations in our school (wider variation than I've ever seen between wealthy and barely scraping by).

Zenya

happy_momma:

No, I really don't think it's that simple.  For a lot of people (me included) snack versus dessert is about WHEN something is eaten, not WHAT is eaten. Dessert is something (usually sweet) after a meal.  Snack is something between meals - could be sweet or not sweet.

yes.  This weekend we went for a snack mid morning.  The kids got a donut and I got a latte.  (sbux).  

I know there are dire predictions about obese children in 20 years but if the nest is anything to go by I think the  pendulum is about to swing way too far in the other direction. 

ashleyaugust7

Zenya:

happy_momma:

No, I really don't think it's that simple.  For a lot of people (me included) snack versus dessert is about WHEN something is eaten, not WHAT is eaten. Dessert is something (usually sweet) after a meal.  Snack is something between meals - could be sweet or not sweet.

yes.  This weekend we went for a snack mid morning.  The kids got a donut and I got a latte.  (sbux).  

I know there are dire predictions about obese children in 20 years but if the nest is anything to go by I think the  pendulum is about to swing way too far in the other direction. 

Ok, I can see the time of day thing too- I don't always think dessert has to be after a meal, so I am again back to the semantics thing!  I guess I feel like those things are up for parents to do/give- like a sbux run on a weekend, or donuts at the pumpkin patch.  Not in school as a part of the school day.