The Food Police

I read the other day, that a school district in a suburb of Seattle,  told parents that they can no longer bring birthday treats to school. Instead, parents are encouraged to send alternatives, like stickers and pencils.  Pencils?  How celebratory is that?

I am well-aware that obesity is at near-epidemic proportions.    Parents need to get their kids outside, get them active, cut down on the junk food and frequent fast-food meals.  But come on!  In this case, it's the Food Police run amok!

I'm not saying it was wise, but do you remember candy cigarettes? Or bubble gum cigars?   Now,  I can understand if there were an uproar, these days, over THOSE things...but a cupcake? 

There's a push for healthier options in school cafeterias across the nation. And that idea has some merit.   Maybe the teachers don't want the kids wired from all the sugar... Maybe they should rethink that.  With the state-mandated testing, the kids (and teachers) could use a boost, perhaps!

Kids' birthdays bring back memories of my attempt to make a "school bus" cake, with garish yellow icing, complete with the boys' school pictures in the  bus "windows".  I thought it was darling, but I took so much teasing over that cake (from hubby,  a six, a four  and a two year old, mind you!) that I never baked another birthday cake again.  It was Kroger's Bakery from then on out!

So it's no skin off my nose if they do away with baked goods for birthdays.  It just seems sad to me that another little joy of childhood -celebrating birthdays at school- is on the verge of disappearing.  Well, I guess the kids could just chew on those pencils....