A mother recently sent her son to school with a small bag of snacks.
Later that day, she got a note written on her son's mini-pringles carton, lecturing her on making healthier food choices for her son.
It said, "Please help us make healthy choices at school."
Megan commented, "They snack-shamed me and snack-shamed my son by writing this passive-aggressive note on his trash." She said she wished they had just reached out to her directly if they had an issue with his food. She added that he was going to lunch with a granola bar, yogurt, and fruit. It wasn't just chips.
She iterated that, at home, she doesn't label things as healthy or unhealthy, because it might cause the child to feel too much guilt about his choice of food as an adult and lead to eating disorders.
The teacher's note also doesn't address the problem properly. Dietician Jodi Holland insists, "When some kids are really restricted or feel deprived, they may go towards the tendency of hiding food or, when they do have access to those foods, they’re overeating.” She added there is no guarantee that removing a small snack will result in them eating a healthier one instead. The good/bad labeling of food can lead children to grow fearful of certain foods regardless of how dangerous those foods actually are.
There is also much grey area on how to define what junk foods, and how some food is generally fine, so long as you eat it in reasonable quantities.
So what do you think? Should the teacher have sent the note?
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