Let’s be frank here: Oreos are great. Maybe not nutritionally speaking, but once in a while, I enjoy treating myself to a stack of Oreos.
So when I read the ABC News story about the Colorado mom who, after apparently running out of fruits and vegetables, packed her daughter Oreos as a snack – and was then shamed by her kid’s school about the unhealthy snack choice, I had to roll my eyes.
Here’s a breakdown. Mom Leeza Pearson was packing her daughter’s lunch last week, and on this day she was out of produce, she opted for packing daughter Natalee some Oreos, ABC reports. But when her 4-year-old returned home from Children’s Academy in Aurora, Colorado, mom found a note from the school accompanying uneaten Oreos. Pearson provided the note to ABC News. It read:
“Dear Parents, it is very important that all students have a nutritious lunch. This is a public school setting and all children are required to have a fruit, a vegetable and a healthy snack from home, along with a milk. If they have potatoes, the child will also need bread to go along with it. Lunchables, chips, fruit snacks, and peanut butter are not considered to be a healthy snack. This is a very important part of our program and we need everyone’s participation.”
As if moms don’t have enough on their plate to worry about. Now, they have to feel guilty and judged for the snack choices they make for their own children? I don’t blame Pearson for getting upset. She is within her rights as a parent to decide when and what circumstances allow Oreos!
To the school’s credit, I understand they were looking out for the health of their students. However, I don’t think the one time this mom sent her kid to school with Oreos is truly encouraging junk-food gluttony. I would find this note incredibly annoying.
What do you think? Was the school justified, or did they take this too far?
