A while back, I was going through my "daily fixes" when I came across a link to this article, and read the following in response to schools putting restrictions on what parents could pack their kids for lunch:

"Are parents today deemed so incompetent that they can’t be trusted to provide their kids with a decent lunch? Do the schools have to play parent?"

The simple answer often times is unfortunately, "yes." Let me tell you why schools have to 'play parent'. Many parents today are (sadly) too busy to pack their kids a healthy lunch. It's just so much easier to hand their kid a $10 bill and say, "buy lunch in the school cafeteria or the vending machines." I worked in several middle schools and I will be the first to admit that school cafeteria's sell a great deal of junk -- but they are starting to make efforts to add healthier choices. The sad reality is that "parents" are letting their kids decide: fries or salad without having first set good examples of healthy eating at home. I'm all for giving kids a sense of empowerment but first SOMEONE needs to start setting good examples about healthy eating and that is clearly not always happening at home.

And I just thought I'd add that 4 granola bars does not constitute a 'healthy snack' -- ever read a nutrition label on them -- some are hardly better than a chocolate bar. I think some parents would be surprised if they saw some of the "snacks" and "lunches" that are sent to school via the home.

As for peanut bans -- well, what would you want the school to do if your child had a peanut allergy that was potentially fatal???? Why can't people stop and think -- if the school says no peanuts -- there is usually a reason. They aren't peanut haters. I was once at a school where there was a teacher that was deathly allergic to orange peelings -- did I go apeshit when I couldn't eat my orange? -- no.

And here's the kicker -- when schools try to step in and make healthier choices -- what happens?? Well, educators are the enemy, naturally. We need to butt out and let kids eat crap because we are not the parents... There were headlines made in the UK this week when parents in protest of schools trying to provide healthier choices -- sabotaged the schools attempts by delivering to their children fast food lunches .

I know I am coming across as anti-parent and I'm not. I am just tired of teachers and schools getting blamed for trying their best to act in the best interests of children. Are schools perfect -- no. Are there good parents -- yes. I just wish that instead of finger pointing, parents would try to work with the schools as opposed to playing the blame game. Everyone likes to point the finger at schools and teachers -- but rarely does one see a parent take ownership for their delightful offspring and the myriad of troubles/problems they might have. It's just way easier to point the finger.