My Kid's Lunch Is None of the Government's Business
I saw this in The Stir - Quite honestly, I see nothing wrong with the lunch the child brought from home, do you?
My Kid's Lunch Is None of the Government's Business
A four-year-old preschooler at West Hoke Elementary School in North Carolina opted to eat just three chicken nuggets from the school cafeteria after her own lunch was deemed ‘unhealthy’ by a state inspector.
The girl’s mother had packed her a sack lunch containing a turkey and cheese sandwich, a banana, potato chips, and apple juice. I’m impressed. My preschooler’s lunch usually consists of a tube of yogurt, a string cheese, Pirate’s Booty, and some sort of juice box. Kids are picky, and when she’s at school, my main concern is that she gets some sustenance. We fill in with grains, fruit, and veggies at home, because we’re her parents, and we have authority over our daughter and her diet.
That’s not the case at West Hoke, apparently. Somehow, the lunch failed to meet the U.S. Department of Agriculture guidelines that state that healthy meals must include one serving of meat, one serving of milk, one serving of grain, and two servings of fruit or vegetables. The Division of Child Development and Early Education at the Department of Health and Human Services requires all lunches served in pre-kindergarten programs to satisfy those requirements.
The lunch inspector decided that the girl’s lunch was unsatisfactory, and set a tray from the cafeteria in front of her. The girl chose to eat three chicken nuggets and throw the rest away. Her mother was then charged $1.25 for the hot meal.
Lunch inspector? Why is there an agent inspecting lunches? Let’s have a little common sense. Of course there should be lunch supervisors, and if they see a kid without anything to eat, they should help said kid get something to eat. They should let the child’s teacher know, and the teacher should work with the parents to find out if the lunch was forgotten, lost, traded for Pokémon cards, or nonexistent due to lack of grocery money.
There are programs available to help kids from low-income families eat, at the parents’ behest. It is not up to some random government official to judge my parenting and how I choose to feed my own child, and decide that my mothering isn’t good enough. It is none of their business what my kid eats, even if it’s Twinkies and Coca-Cola. They are mine until they’re 18, not Uncle Sam’s.
Once upon a time, there was another government that claimed, “Nutrition is not a private matter.” It was the Nazi’s. Just saying.
What the hell is a "lunch inspector"? They never had them when Shannon was in school and never had them when I was in school. The only time Shannon got a healthy meal was when I packed it for her. The school certainly didn't offer them. Let's not forget the Government has deemed ketchup as a vegetable.
Oh my god..... What's wrong with a turkey sandwich?? Awful!! I would have gone balistic on the lunch inspector.....
Thats so wrong! The government is taking us over in every aspect and its getting ridiculous!
when they offer my child a free lunch that they will actuall eat, THEN we'll talk!
"it is none of their business what my kid eats, even if its twinkies and coca-cola. They are mine until they are 18", a hundred years ago people said the same exact thing when beating your child with a belt came under fire. They said its their kid, they can discipline them any way they want. Of course they were wrong, when the parent is putting their child in danger, others are allowed, and should be allowed, to step in. Im not saying a bad diet is the same as child abuse, but it is still a major issue and problem and causes a lot of health issues. If a parent is sending their kids in with crap food everyday and putting their childs health in jeopardy, then I completely support the school in doing something about it. As for this story, I do think that in cases like this, the school overstepped and shouldnt have done that, the childs lunch was fine. But if a child is sent to school with cookies, cheetos, and coca-cola everyday, which I have seen, then the school should be allowed to say something and do something. Replacing the childs lunch with a school meal and making the parents pay for it will push the parents to start sending healthy foods to get away from the bill. As for lack of money, I know plenty of healthy meals you can make for the price of twinkies and coke. If someone is mistreating their child, and that includes giving them a crap diet, then someone should say something for the childs sake.
That lunch inspector needs to be slapped in the face with that turkey sandwich!
Not sure how to keep my kids busy this summer, need advice! PIOG
- Cafe AmyS
on Feb. 15, 2012 at 2:28 PM