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I just sent the following to the Buzz opinion page and will send a copy to both schools and nurses
Last Friday, both my children who attend Mansfield Public Schools, brought home a letter notifying us that starting next year, children will no longer be allowed to bring in cupcakes or cake for birthday celebrations. It seems the war on childhood obesity has hit home. In typical politically correct fashion, instead of targeting the children that need it, we have to punish them all. The memory of childhood cupcakes is important to me. In my case, its wasn’t just sharing a treat with my classmates it was a patriotic statement. I was born on June 14, the seldom celebrated holiday of Flag Day. Each year, my mom would bake cupcakes for my class and adorn each cupcake with a paper American Flag. Now, some 35 yrs later, my children, who are growing up less than 40 miles from where the American Revolution was born and the Abolitionist movement started, will not have the right to bear cupcakes.
This decree came from a recommendation from Mansfield Health Advisory Board and the school nurses. I am wondering if the Board performed a detailed nutritional analysis of the benefits of a daily dose of chicken fingers, Tostitos and cheese, fun fish sticks, meatball subs (on white bread) and pizza, compared to the nutritional value of 20-30 cupcakes per year? Which contributes more to fat kids- random cupcakes or the school lunch menu? I'm no health expert, but I think I can make a pretty good guess.
What that the school nurses and the board don’t have the guts to tell you is that if your kid is overweight, its your fault. Not the fault of a few monthly cupcakes to celebrate their classmates birthday. Limit the TV, limit the snacks, get outside and walk, run, bike - its all common sense. But in America we are no longer accountable for our actions, we need faceless boards to step in and tell us what's best for our kids. We need to place the blame on things other than ourselves. How did we ever survive without them?
I never thought I would live in a town where my kids cant share some junk food with their classmates. Where the school regulates the food kids can share. Lets stop this nonsense, let kids bring in some cake or cupcakes and instead spend our energy on revamping the school lunch menu and get our rear ends off the couch and outside playing with our children. It will do you AND your kids some good.
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