I know candy and sugar and stuff is bad horrible for me. I KNOW it.
And I know that when I eat garbage like that it only does more harm than it does good.
Except, for, you know, two things:
- If I only eat some candy it isn’t all that bad.
- I GET to make that decision.
But when the government gets involved, BOOM goes the dynamite!
See, we’re human. We DO do things that don’t always make sense. But in the end, we get to do those things because, well, we’re human.
What YOU can do is not give me bad things. You don’t wanna have me smoke? Don’t gimme a cigarette. You don’t want me to play the lottery? Don’t buy me a lottery ticket.
Much to the chagrin of thousands of students — and even some parents and school administrators — all public schools in the St. Paul district will be declared “sweet-free zones” by the end of this school year.
Now look, we have fat kids. A lot of ’em. And they are only gettin’ fatter. But if I wanna send some gummy bears with my child as dessert, or if I wanna let her have a Snickers Bar as a treat after school, that should be my call. Not the school’s.
At the same time, the school shouldn’t be pushin’ treats and sweet like they are goin’ oughta style, but jeez.
Should a school really forbid sweets on campus? Won’t this be a bit like forbidding alcohol in America? Or weed?
Are they gonna make more and more kids “rule breakers”?
So, what is the punishment?
Punishment for breaking the policy, at this point, doesn’t exceed a verbal warning.
Ouch!
But how about those folks tryin’ to raise money for their clubs, teams and events?
It’ll ultimately be a blow to booster clubs and parent organizations, too, which won’t be able to sell hot chocolate, doughnuts, candy bars and cookies at school events, often used as fundraisers.
Can you imagine half time of your favorite event? And no candy, popcorn or soda at the counter?
None?
But hey. You voted for this guy, not me.
St. Paul administrators say they’re preparing for stricter rules that could soon be handed down through the $4.5 billion Child Nutrition Bill signed by President Obama last week.
The bill will disburse that federal money to school districts to provide healthier lunches to more students. In the next year, the federal government will write new rules that can determine what kinds of foods are allowed to be sold on school grounds, including in vending machines and at fundraisers.
More and more government control people, more and more.
Bahahahaha….
I sympathise with your desire to give your children occasional treats, but I approve of the rule. School lunches are often full of junk and parental education has not worked. By holding off until after school in feeding candy to your children you are helping other families and other children that don’t eat treats in moderation. Sometimes it’s not about fairness, it’s about providing a framework which help kids that aren’t in a position to help themselves. That means your kids will be inconvinienced, but at the same time performing a very meaningful role for other children.
Hi Michael, thanks for stopping by.
School lunches are often full of junk and parental education has not worked.
I absolutely agree that the lunches the schools provide should be healthy and free of crap. We don’t need to be serving our kids candy, chips and soda as part of the district provided lunches. *
MY point is that if I wanna pack a bag lunch for my daughter, I should be allowed to include 2 Hershey’s Kisses. Or some gummy bears.
And that maybe, during the varsity basketball game, we allow the band the space to set up a table and sell cup cakes.
Sometimes it’s not about fairness, it’s about providing a framework which help kids that aren’t in a position to help themselves. That means your kids will be inconvinienced, but at the same time performing a very meaningful role for other children.
An honest question Michael:
And if you answered “Yes”, can you take a little time and tell me how you would define that line?
* And we should be careful of what we call crap. Some time ago I was listening to NPR and came across Dr. Fuhrman. The good doctor thinks that ANYTHING processed is bad for you; poison in some cases. I tried to follow his diet and lost nearly 25 pounds in 3 months. You may ban candy. Dr. Fuhrman would ban meat, cheese, milk and bread.
http://www.drfuhrman.com
I’m not a fan of big government by any means, but at the same token I believe that governments should be given the opportunity to legislate and we (the electorate) should make them accountable for their decisions, letting them know when they are being too obtrusive.
As I stated, I sympathise with your desire to treat your kids with Hershey bars. I have experienced too many kids who have nothing but Hershey bars, chips, pretzels etc. for lunch. Yes I have spoken to the parents. It hasn’t done me any good. If inconveniencing children who are given acceptable lunches from the occasional treat is the price I have to pay to get kids who are balooning in front of my eyes to have an opportunity to eat better, I’d do it. It will make parents think before they load their kids lunch boxes. These poor kids will get a taste for better foods, their parents set in better routines of having to suppliment chips for something preferable.
As for Dr. Fuhrman. I don’t believe kids should diet – ever! Dieting is not what I’m advocating. I’m trying to look after the kids who are being mistreated. It’s not about forcing healthy foods on the students, it’s about taking away the worst of options. As for those that suffer as a consequence – by all means, pick them up with Hershey bar in hand!
I believe that governments should be given the opportunity to legislate
Michael, it sounds like you are a fan of big government.
I have experienced too many kids who have nothing but Hershey bars, chips, pretzels etc. for lunch.
I agree that school provided lunches should be healthy. However, if parents wanna pack their kids a lunch full of crap, so be it.
As for Dr. Fuhrman. I don’t believe kids should diet – ever! Dieting is not what I’m advocating.
I think that you misunderstood. I don’t advocate dieting either. My point is that Dr. Fuhrman feels meat, milk, cheese, bread and pasta are unhealthy choices and shouldn’t be served. He feels that cheese is poison.
My larger point is that if I allow you to legislate what my kids can and can’t eat, you will need to be very careful when Dr. Fuhrman is allowed to legislate what YOUR kids do and don’t eat.
I’m not a fan of big government at all. I am a fan of lower taxes and as little government interference as possible. I just see this rule as worthy of consideration.
I care about my students. It may be easy for others to ignore, but I find it hard. My heart bleeds for kids with reduced energy levels thanks to the incompetence and laziness of their parents. I also care about those missing out because of the rule, and that is why I appreciate your view.
I don’t think Dr Fuhrman’s views on what is healthy or not guide school policy. I don’t think it should be about banning unhealthy foods but rather banning targeted sweets and candies that are neither particularly filling or nutritious.
If you read my blog you will see that I speak out against arcane rules and regulations all the time. Yet there are some rules that a caring institution will always insist on such as ensuring all students wear a hat on a sunny day. Yes it might be uncomfortable for some, yes there will be those that argue that they should be able to do as they please, but the rule is there to protect the kids – and ultimately that’s essential in my view.