Mickey Mouse Tortillas?

I attended Information Night at my children’s school this week. As with years before, I was seated amongst the usual career moms, stay at home moms, dads in their standard issue hawaiian shirt. My children go to a private school, and one of the hot issues is always the Student Lunch Program.

Midway through the meeting came the announcement there would be a new lunch program. It went something like this, “After hearing all of the parent comments we have a new lunch program this year that offers more ‘Kid Friendly’ Foods.” There were cheers and and chatter. Now, last year they changed the lunch program to a catering company and the menus were really encouraging. Sandwich wraps, cous cous, hummus and salads were now part of the menu.

My children take their lunch to school, so I am definitely not plugged into this issue as much as other parents. However, the banter was intriguing so I paid attention. “Thank God!”, “No More Hummus!” “Finally something my kids will eat!” The comments spread like wild fire and the entire room was in a frenzy with the exception of me and the man with a turban sitting next to me. I glanced down at the new menu handed to me when I arrived and there was the usual fair. Chicken Fingers, Pizza, Tacos, Mac and Cheese, Grilled Cheese. There is even one day where the meal consisted of Mac and Cheese, French Fries and Corn. What parent in their right mind thinks this is “Kid Friendly”?When did children start getting a special menu that consists of crap? I deal with this all the time when we go out to dinner. You can be in a Chinese Restaurant and the Kids Menu will have grilled cheese.

My children never eat off the Kids Menu, they love hummus and they eat sushi. Do you know why? We introduce them to it!We have it for dinner and there is not a “Kid Friendly” option. What are we teaching our children? Eat processed, high fat garbage? Food should be fun?

I was in the store the other day and saw tortillas with tattoos. The theory being that you can get your children to eat a tortilla if Mickey Mouse’s face is on it. Children should be taught to make healthy whole food, real food for that matter, choices. This seems like common sense to me. This “Kid Friendly” idea comes from a group of parents that say things like “Sally will only eat potato chips, so we are just going crazy in our house.” Good God!! Take control and stop allowing your children to run you around. Children eat what their parents feed them and they need to be taught about nutrition and making good and well rounded food choices. This just makes me sick.Another one that gets me “Jonny doesn’t eat chicken, so we make him a pizza if we are having chicken.”

This is out of control. Dinner is whatever we are making and here is a hint…if children are given one choice for dinner they will eat it! It may not be easy, but if you start when they are little it becomes their norm. Parents need to start acting like parents and our society needs to encourage children that eat a variety of foods and stop putting them in the junk food category.We are a nation where over 60% of our children are obese!Put down the Mickey Mouse Tortilla and encourage your children to try the hummus!

That is all from the laundry room.

Healthy Slumber!

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