At preschool, all of the kids sit at the tables in the morning and eat breakfast. For kids that eat breakfast at home (like mine), they may just sit down for a few minutes to drink a glass of orange juice. The standard breakfast served is 1/2 cup sugared cereal (Trix, Lucky Charms, Fruit Loops) and 4 oz. orange juice. Since I do not want my daughter eating sugared cereal every morning, I provide breakfast at home so she gets oatmeal, yogurt, fresh fruit, and healthy cereals.
Apparently, the food provided by the school is not enough for some parents. I’m absolutely amazed by the smorgasbord of food that parents leave with their 2, 3, and 4-year-olds. This morning, one 3-year-old girl had a bowl of Trix cereal overflowing (approx. 2 cups), a Go-GURT squeezable yogurt, a Fruit by the Foot fruit roll-up snack, a vanilla pudding cup, and a Sunny Delight orange flavored drink. What is this parent thinking?
I’ve observed parents dropping off full McDonald’s meals with pancakes, sausage, hash browns, and orange juice for a 2-year-old. I’ve seen Jello, donuts, cupcakes, and even M&Ms. One little girl comes to school every day with a bottle filled with soda pop and the school dumps it out and fills the cup with juice or milk. The 1/2 cup of cereal is not enough, so parents show up with ziplock bags full of cereal. Some kids eat a package of six gem donuts for breakfast. Are these people crazy?
The part that concerns me is that one little girl was sharing her M&Ms with the other kids. I thought it was nice of her to offer to share her candy, but my daughter doesn’t need chocolate candies for breakfast. I mentioned it today and they aren’t supposed to share their food due to food allergies. So, while it is not the norm, the kids that are eating a normal breakfast have to watch the other kids eat candies, donuts, and puddings. What kid wouldn’t want that for breakfast?
Every day I leave wondering why parents think this is okay. Are they just submitting to whatever the kids want so long as they are happy? Or, are they just teaching their children to eat what they eat? Time can’t possibly be an issue if they can stop at McDonald’s. Also, the school provides breakfast, so why isn’t that sufficient? It’s the correct portions for children that age, but these parents don’t think it’s enough. I’ve spoken to the lady who works in the kitchen and she ends up throwing all the food away that the kids don’t eat. Not only are these parents wasting food and money, but they are teaching their children bad eating habits that will carry with them throughout their lifetime.
Child obesity has reached epidemic levels with estimates that 15% of children are overweight and an additional 15% are at risk of becoming overweight. Two thirds of these kids will become overweight adults. We can prevent childhood obesity by making sure that we provide healthy, nutritional foods for our children and by keeping them active rather than sedentary. By providing our children with a wide variety of fresh fruits, vegetables, and non-processed foods, we can teach them to expand their palettes and develop healthy eating habits that will last a lifetime.
As for the daily smorgesbord of food, I will continue to shake my head in disgust at the mere site of it. I’ve been so tempted to ask the parents why they think their child needs all that food, but I bite my tongue instead. After all, it’s not my child and what do I know anyway?
2 comments:
OMGosh, I'm with you on that! Nate gets oatmeal and milk every morning (and usually even when we eat out) and that's it! Even if we eat out, I end up taking food off his plate because it's way more than he needs. I had to do that for the breakfast in my last post. On the flip side, I"m amazed how many people think we're mean parents for not giving our child sugar sweets! What??! No ice cream for little Nate? How dare we! Pardon me for caring about my child's health! I about died when I read about the soda! I used to work at Golden Corral many years ago and would have moms come up and request to have their baby's BOTTLE filled with soda. How crazy is that??!!
After Alyssa was two, I did lighten up a bit and allow her to have treats like ice cream or cake for a special occasion like a birthday party. Or, if we go out to eat, we'll make her a soda that's about 1/3 orange soda and the rest water. I've just come to the conclusion that some parents don't care what their kids are eating so long as they are happy.
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