Chips, Cheetos, Chocolate Cookies

Or; Prodigious Porkers Prevent Pleasurable Pause
--- By Ron Dupuis

“Hi Mom” said little Suzie upon her return home from 3rd grade. “We have to go shopping” she added instantly.
“Well, how was your day and why is that” Mom asked?
“The teacher said I was too fat “was the reply of the tiny eight year old.
“Suzie, you weigh less than forty pounds.” “You are by no means fat.”
“Ya, but the teacher says that a lot of us are “a beast” and we have to start eating better.” “C’mon, we have to go shopping?”
“I think she might have said “obese” and sweetheart, you are by no means obese.” “What do we have to go shopping for?”
“Snack food” was the reply. “The teacher says that the snack food you give me will make me “a beast” and that you should do a better job of feeding me.” “C’mon Mom, let’s go” the child added hurriedly.
“What exactly did Ms. Craig say I should feed you” Mom asked?
The child responded ”Rice cakes.” “C’mon Mom, lets get going.”
“Hold on Suzie Q” Mom said. “Your teacher feels that I should do a better job of feeding you and that I should send rice cakes as a mid morning snack for an eight year old third grader?” “I’m going to write her a note.” “What is your teachers’ first name again?”
“Jenny” she replied. “C’mon Mom.” “Let’s go shopping.”

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Scenes like this are taking place all over the country. Educators, in order to comply with federal guidelines, are removing all food of minimal nutritional value or so called “junk food” from school menus and snack carts. The new guidelines call for healthier foods with less than 250 calories with no more than sixty grams of fat in order to combat childhood obesity. This, on the surface, can be a good thing. Many of our children are unable to make the proper choices. It is estimated that 15% of children between the ages of 6 and 19 are overweight.

The problem here is that some educators are telling parents that these guidelines will apply to children’s lunches and snacks sent from home. This, “In My Humble Opinion”, is a little over the line, and dangerous for a couple of reasons. First of all, children should have choices. Instead of removing ALL temptation why not encourage the overweight 15% (or Prodigious Porkers as I will be calling them in future articles) to make the proper decisions. It seems that by removing ALL snack foods of questionable “nutritional value” penalize the remaining 85% and indicates that our educators are throwing in the towel when it comes to teaching life skills.

More importantly, educators who feel that they have the authority to restrict parental rights to make decisions as to what they may or may not feed their children is just plain dangerous. In our household our daughter is fed what we feel is best for her and if my wife and I feel she deserves an Oreo or Chocolate chip cookie from time to time, she’ll get it. Even in her school lunch bag.