[Julie3Girls]

I think you have a couple of issues here.

1. Food sold at the canteen. Before you start jumping up about how unhealthy they are, you might want to actually check with the canteen as to what sort of iceblocks/slushies etc are being sold. Is the chocolate milk low fat? What is used in the slushies? I personally don't have a problem with a child have a popper drink.
If you want to take out milk, fruit juice and slushies, what is the canteen going to actually sell as drinks?
If you DO want different items sold at the canteen, and others removed, you need to volunteer, get involved, be part of the canteen committee.
If you just write a complaint, without trying to be part of the solution, I wouldn't be expecting a big response.

2. kinder kids buying for each other. I do think this one is a problem. Talk to the teachers (not the principal, start with the teacher). Mention your concerns about the kids buying for each other. It fits in with the policy of kids not sharing food, so I would expecting the teacher to talk to the kids about not buying for each other. The school could also possible request parents don't send so much money - slushies at our school are $2. A child with enough money to buy both themselves and their friends a slushie has too much money.

3. self control for your daughter. There are a lot of kids at schools. A lot of kids use the canteen on different days. Your daughter needs to learn that those sorts of things are not an everyday thing. Why should use of the canteen be restricted because of one child?
My 5 yr old is perfectly capable of telling me that some things are "sometimes" foods, and following through on it. She also understands that Mummy cannot afford/does not want to give money for canteen every day.
We have gone through the taking money with my oldest when she was in yr1. I understand that it is hard, but when she was caught doing it, she lost priviledges, including getting given money for school, and had to earn it back.

I also like the fact the canteen is teaching her about the value of money.
I might give her $1.50 or $2. I point out that this could buy 1 slushie. And that will be it for the entire week. Or she could buy something less expensive and have some money left for the next day. I find most of the time, she buys these tiny water iceblocks for 10c, or some watermelon for 20c or a frozen fruit cup etc.

[LifesGood]

Oh but I am sure that your school has a healthy eating policy, such as the traffic light systems. LOL and the like full of fruit juice....whats wrong with that!?! 282 filled bread, topped with plastic cheese !?!

I hate the school canteen with a passion and their claims that they promote healthy eating. LOLs in our school canteen get a green light, sugar filled 'fruit drink' carbonated, great for their teeth, not to mention their overall health.

My advice to you OP is to find something on the menu which you are happy enough for your child to have and let her have that as a treat....better if you can order it.

This is exactly how I feel about our school canteen. They pat themselves on the back for having a 'healthy' menu and it is filled with items that I consider treat foods or at the very best reasonable food that on it's own does not constitute a balanced diet eg ham and pineapple pizza. If I want my child to have pizza I want it loaded with veges and healthy toppings, not processed ham, tinned pineapple and high fat cheese.

Anyway, I pack DDs lunch myself and allow her canteen money once a week to buy a treat. She would never hear the end of it if she stole money from me. And they have a no food sharing policy with food at our school so her friends can't buy her anything (and they don't).

[tazcan]

So you would punish those who get it as an occasional treat(especially on hot days) just so you can make sure your DD doesn't have it.

I hardly think I am punishing anyone - maybe saving the from fatty liver disease and insulin resistance. Their parents want they could send them with a bottle of frozen water on a cold day (or gosh the canteen could sell frozen water!), or their parents can send them in with a bottle of frozen juice if they are happy for their kids to drink sugar.

[howdo]

But the school canteen is to blame. How can little children resist a slushie? Sure I can give her a talk and she can agree to a fortnightly treat, but when a friend offers to buy her something she will not be able to resist it in the moment - and then later when she sees me she will feel guilty. Why can't the school canteen be healthy?

Speak to the teacher about reminding children not to share. Then find out who runs the canteen - it's not the teaching staff but usually a parent group. It is most often run through the P&C/Governing Council/Parents & Friends. Canteens are most often there at the request/desire of the school community.

The thing is, given the guidelines, the school canteen would be considered healthy ...

[barrington]

Is your DD telling you she's having slushies multiple times a week or is this from another source?

[tazcan]

Ok well first course of action is to approach her teacher and school about no food sharing and no buying sftuff for others from the canteen.

Obviously I must be lacking in parenting skills or my DD is a cretan, giving how perfectly self-controlled some PPs children are. The government and media are so quick to blame parents for the escalating obesity rates in Australian children and instances of type II diabetes - but I have no problems at home, just at school. One previous poster said it is the schools job to control the children when on their premises and I fully agree- so the school should control the situation so my DD doesn't have access to food her parents don't want her eating. I can talk to her all I want but at the end of the day I can't remotely control her, and all children have different personalities, my DD is very stubborn and independent, maybe PPs children aren't.

This post has been edited by tazcan: 23/04/2012, 06:31 PM

[UncommonSense]

I can't even get the school to help me get my son to eat his lunch.. Let alone monitor what other kids are upto.. Good luck with that..

[HeroOfCanton]

Lol - since when is a canteen slushie deadly?
They are usually a cup of grated ice with a splash of fruit juice.

I hardly think I am punishing anyone - maybe saving the from fatty liver disease and insulin resistance.

sure, sure - you keep on your little crusade & save those poor children getting a treat at school.

[Majeix]

I hardly think I am punishing anyone - maybe saving the from fatty liver disease and insulin resistance. Their parents want they could send them with a bottle of frozen water on a cold day (or gosh the canteen could sell frozen water!), or their parents can send them in with a bottle of frozen juice if they are happy for their kids to drink sugar.

I am a fan of healthy eating, it is important to me. My kids school does not have a canteen they do a lunch order system once a week on rotating basis, bbq, chicken schnitzel roll, etc and I let my daughter have it once every three or so weeks (she only really likes the bbq). I think kids (including mine) eat far too much crap and dh and I often disagree on how often treats like juice should be allowed. I think an ice cold bottle of water is lovely but I do think your attitude towards this is a little over the top. This is a problem yes but I don't think that it is simply the canteens fault. I get it I have a little girl who goes crazy over the idea of slushies and is stubborn and likely to do things behind my back and its not that she never gets junk she does, I do give her treats far too often and then theirs DH who is even more lax abotu stuff like that and of course Grandma... etc.

However I do not think that you can just blame the canteen and if your having a canteen I think they shoule be allowed to sell soemthing besides frozen water. I might not want my daughter having juice or flavoured milk every day but I do think they should be allowed to sell it. What are the slushies made off, ice with a little juice flavouring etc imo wouldn't be too bad as "treats"go. I get that she is five but I really do think you need to sit your daughter down and have a serious talk iwth her, and then talk with her again and again and again. This is the time to help her develop self control and an understanding of not taking money, yet it might take awhile but to me thats the most important thing. I would also talk to the teacher about kids sharing food and I would campaign for a healthier canteen if I thought it was unhealthy. I think these things are important but ultimately you have to work with your little girl, the other food will be there every day at school in the toher kids lunch boxes etc. I do agree with limiting removing access of junk food to kids ie if its not there they can't eat it and I would prefer it wasn't in there faces every day at school but you cannot control the external world like that (as much as I might like too lol) You can influence and I would certainly be politely trying to do that by getting as involved as possible (although I am glad I don't have too as I would hate it and struggle to find the time) and by talking to the teacher. I would not be going in and saying it is the canteens fault because ultimately I don't think it is that simple.

This post has been edited by Majeix: 23/04/2012, 06:53 PM

[JaneDoe2010]

I think you have a couple of issues here.

1. Food sold at the canteen. Before you start jumping up about how unhealthy they are, you might want to actually check with the canteen as to what sort of iceblocks/slushies etc are being sold. Is the chocolate milk low fat? What is used in the slushies? I personally don't have a problem with a child have a popper drink.
If you want to take out milk, fruit juice and slushies, what is the canteen going to actually sell as drinks?
If you DO want different items sold at the canteen, and others removed, you need to volunteer, get involved, be part of the canteen committee.
If you just write a complaint, without trying to be part of the solution, I wouldn't be expecting a big response.

2. kinder kids buying for each other. I do think this one is a problem. Talk to the teachers (not the principal, start with the teacher). Mention your concerns about the kids buying for each other. It fits in with the policy of kids not sharing food, so I would expecting the teacher to talk to the kids about not buying for each other. The school could also possible request parents don't send so much money - slushies at our school are $2. A child with enough money to buy both themselves and their friends a slushie has too much money.

3. self control for your daughter. There are a lot of kids at schools. A lot of kids use the canteen on different days. Your daughter needs to learn that those sorts of things are not an everyday thing. Why should use of the canteen be restricted because of one child?

All of that.

Get involved. Get on the P&F committee and have some input into what is happening at school. Going straight to the principal for a tuck shop issue seems a little dramatic to me.

Some kids just have these treats once per week. Just because you don't think kids should ever have them doesn't mean their choice should be taken away.