Kids are bullied in school more often than you would think. Oftentimes, it has to do with the smallest things, too. What parents don’t realize is that many things they send with their kids to school can cause them to be alienated and picked on by their peers.
Recently, one mom wrote into Reddit asking for advice after her son was picked on and singled out in school due to his snacks.
“My youngest son, Sam, is in second grade and they still have snack time.
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“My family has a history of obesity, diabetes, and high cholesterol, so I’ve tried to [instill] healthy eating habits since he started eating real food,” she wrote.
While she tries to have Sam eat healthy foods, she admits there are unhealthy snacks in the house.
“Don’t get me wrong, we still have plenty of unhealthy things in our house (chips, candy, ramen noodles, etc.), but they’re eaten in moderation.
“He luckily loves fruits and veggies, so I try to incorporate them as much as I can,” she added.
Her son has been asking her to “pack extra” snacks lately.
“Lately he’s been asking me to pack extra, and since he’s going through a growth spurt I didn’t think anything of it and just figured he was hungrier than usual, no biggie. This has been going on for a couple weeks now,” she said.
The mom did not expect that it would backfire.
“Yesterday I got out of work early and decided I would surprise Sam and pick him up from school. He came out with his friend, whose mum was also there to pick him up, and the friend’s mother asked if I was Sam’s mum,” she stated.
Apparently, Sam’s lunches and snacks have a “bad reputation” for some reason.
“I said I was and introduced myself, and she said ‘So you’re the one who thinks you’re better than all the other mums.’
“I was extremely confused and asked her what she meant and that there must be some kind of misunderstanding,” she said.
The other mom said that the Reddit user was making “her look bad as a mom.”
“She told me that Sam has been sharing his snacks with other kids, and her son has been asking her to pack him the same sort of stuff. She said that since she can’t afford it, it makes her look like a terrible mum.
“This just seemed to make her angrier and I finally asked what her solution would be for this and she told me to start sending in more ‘appropriate’ snacks for my son,” she said.
The other mom didn’t really take the conversation well.
“I told her that wasn’t going to happen, we encourage eating healthy and these are the snacks my son asks for each day.
“I am not going to make him take something he doesn’t want because it’s offending her. She called me a b**** and I just walked away,” she said.
The mom asked if she was in the wrong on Reddit for refusing to change his snacks to the other parent’s liking.
Most Reddit users said this mom is nowhere near wrong in this situation
“This woman is obviously insecure about her income/parenting and is looking for someone to blame for it. Veggies at snack time somehow [makes] you think you’re better than anyone? Insane,” one person wrote.
Others said they’re just confused at the other mom’s outlook.
“While I feel for that lady, I’m genuinely confused as to why she feels entitled to dictate YOUR life/life choices. She approached you terribly, and even if she did it in a nicer way, it would be ridiculous. She could have explained to her kids that some people have different diets or different families eat different things instead of attacking you. I’ll try to read the comments to see how anyone could think you’re the problem here, I don’t see it,” they said.
Some, however, asked the mom if it takes “too much time” to cut up and pack fresh/raw snacks.
The mom then gave a few more details about how she prepares her son’s lunch and snacks,
“It may be the effort, although it only takes me a couple minutes in the morning to cut and pack. The most expensive is definitely watermelon, so he doesn’t get it that often. But the other things are relatively cheap to me, but ‘cheap’ is different to different people,” the mom wrote back to people on the thread.
One person suggested maybe it’s best if her son “doesn’t share.”
“Maybe send your son with just one portion and ask him not to share or exchange food. Tell him it’s about germs,” the Reddit user wrote.
Many said this mom shouldn’t change her ways due to other parents.
“Your neighbor has issues in getting healthy snacks due to financial troubles. That does not give her the right to shit all over you. How she feeds her kid is up to her, you continue doing what you think is appropriate for your son. Do not change,” one person wrote.
Parents were, however, empathetic toward moms who can’t afford “healthier” snacks.
“My heart goes out to any parent that’s struggling, and it’s an absolute shame that junk food is so cheap and readily available. That said, this mom is extremely out of line. You don’t have to change how YOU parent to accommodate her, especially after she was so rude to you,” a person said.
Overall, many Reddit users said this mom should not “appease” anyone else.
In the vast majority of responses, parents said that this mom was “right” for trying to feed her kid the way she sees fit. At the end of the day, he’s her child and no one else’s, so she should continue to feed him the snacks she feels will be best for him.
h/t news.com.au
