May I have a rant?

[multiveg]

[rant] Just got back after picking son up from school. On the walk back, we eat some blackberries. We hear other parents, when asked by their little ones for blackberries, say that they are horrible. A lot of these children get to eat crisps/sweeties full of E-numbers on their way home. When it rains, they go back in the car with the windows closed while the parents smoke. Do they really think that cigarette smoke is better for their children day-in-day-out than blackberries which may have car fumes on them?
[/rant]

[Stonehead]

[rant] Just got back after picking son up from school. On the walk back, we eat some blackberries. We hear other parents, when asked by their little ones for blackberries, say that they are horrible. A lot of these children get to eat crisps/sweeties full of E-numbers on their way home. When it rains, they go back in the car with the windows closed while the parents smoke. Do they really think that cigarette smoke is better for their children day-in-day-out than blackberries which may have car fumes on them?
[/rant]

Rant away! We get this sort of thing all the time - we're the weird lot who eat food that's grown in the dirt and comes from hairy, noisy, smelly animals. Everyone knows that sweetened, flavoured, preservative added, e-numbered, plastic sealed factory fodder is the best thing for kids.

Not that I'm bitter and twisted about it.

[Andy Hamilton]

A worthy rant.

I can never understand why so many tree that are ladened with apples, chestnuts, plumbs and so on are left. It does mean more for the rest of us though so not too much of a bad thing. As for blackberries it always makes me laugh when I see people paying for them from July- October, whays the point they are everywhere????

[glenniedragon]

I saw blackberries go for £1 a punnet in a carbooty, in a field surrounded by the things! nowt so queer as folk! my nan had a saying that the berries after the 23rd of sept were 'the devils',don't have any idea where that came from....sorry I have a tendancy to wander...

kind thoughts
Deb

[Merry]

The blackberries after Michaelmas have been spat on by the devil - or so me mam told me.

[baldowrie]

My sons school set up an 'eco friendly and healthy tuck shop'

They wanted parent to go along and set it up, I declined on the grounds that what is the point of trying put across something that is totally alien to 'teachers'

So the healthy food they have chosen are..

cheese strings
bread sticks
some kind of apple thing and pineapple thing

My son suggest unsalted vegetable crisps and the answer he got was 'crisps aren't healthy'. He protested and said they are vegetable and have no salt and not fired...teacher said he was lying and there is no such thing

So the so called healthy tuck shop is one we will give a miss and stick to the raw carrot and fresh home made unsalted popcorn etc

[2steps]

you go for it! know how you feel

there is a plum tree on the way to my childrens school, of course I had my eye on the fruits but day after day I'd see children picking them, unripe) and throwing them at each other, throwing them into the road, stamping on them etc etc there ended up being none left

[multiveg]

My sons school set up an 'eco friendly and healthy tuck shop'

They wanted parent to go along and set it up, I declined on the grounds that what is the point of trying put across something that is totally alien to 'teachers'

So the healthy food they have chosen are..

cheese strings
bread sticks
some kind of apple thing and pineapple thing

My son suggest unsalted vegetable crisps and the answer he got was 'crisps aren't healthy'. He protested and said they are vegetable and have no salt and not fired...teacher said he was lying and there is no such thing

So the so called healthy tuck shop is one we will give a miss and stick to the raw carrot and fresh home made unsalted popcorn etc

Perhaps you could send him to school with a said packet of vegetable crisps. I've also seen apple crisps. Perhaps you could bring it up at a parents evening. Even write a letter to the local paper.

[Shirley]

How disgusting to call him a liar - I would definitely write something to the school... and even the paper.

cheese strings - YUCK!!

Bread sticks - there are some good brands... and they are better than somethings.

Apple and pineapple thing?!

I'm still shocked by the teacher calling him a liar...

I must admit that I'd have been in there and helping to set it up and at least having a chance to have my say.

[baldowrie]

Shirley the breadstick..cheap as possible 5 sticks for 20p

As for having my say, what is the point when you know that you are not going to be listened to. Put me in Stoneheads catergory..weirdo who feeds their kids on stuff that doesn't come in plastic wrappers and full of E numbers. My neighbour went along to the meeting on Eco schools and I see they way they live...engine running for 40 mins before using the car, prepackaged food even though they say their son has food allergies etc (they want to see a true reaction and not just a 5 year olds mad time) ...totally pointless!

As for writing regarding the teacher calling my son a liar...2 things, 1)what he tells me is not always correct and the second and most importantly the head is an accomplished talk her way of of a sticky situation, been their done that didn't believe a word of it and she got told 'EXPLAIN' to the boy why then!

I am not her favourite parent as I ask why and not how high should I jump She is not keen on me writing to her..oh dear how sad never mind!

So there is little point in trying to get through to those with a narrow mind. Mind you I am winning on the 'lets not have all these profession involved'

May well send the kids in with veg or fruit crisps one day just so the lad can say 'see told you!' But I am a cruel mum just giving them a whole peeled carrot for tuck instead of a bag of highly coloured sweeties. Apparently other kids have asked their parents for a raw carrot and their parents were horrified and said no they got to have the junk

[Stonehead]

Apparently other kids have asked their parents for a raw carrot and their parents were horrified

Snap! Mind you, as well as kids asking for raspberries, carrots and radishes, one littlie at playgroup also asked for a whole pig like Donnchadh has...

His mother was not best pleased.

[baldowrie]

we are just bad parents who deprive our kids of the good things in life like sweets and chewing gum cheese

Thunder pig would go down a storm!

[den_the_cat]

Apparently other kids have asked their parents for a raw carrot and their parents were horrified and said no they got to have the junk

I have to say some of you guys live in the wierdest places ever. I lived in the middle of a city and while it wasn't exactly a milliion miles to the country people didn't grow veg in the gardens in general and some were total strangers to the grocers, but I've never met anyone who would be horrified by their kid asking for a carrot.

Tell them they don't have one and offer crisps instead, yes. Ask doubtfully if they'll like it, yes. Tell them they'll have to wait until they go to tescos, definately. But half would be delighted and the other half wouldn't care less provided its easy and it fits in a lunchbox.

Now asking for a pig, yeah that would horrify a few people... how on earth would you get the flask in with it?

[2steps]

when we lived in london I'd get reactions like baldowrie and stonehead all the time. a teacher actually asked me why andrew had an apple and a banana in his lunchbox! hmmm there good for him and he likes them baldowrie, the headteacher there hated me too. not only did I ask why but I'd go find out things an dthen come back to them and say 'ah yeah but what about....' or ' no, I read up and actually...' my son has adhd and dispite accepting him into the school they did NOTHING to provide for his needs. AT one meeting I was basiscally told I didn't really have a lot of choice and they'd do what they like and call in policy to which I replied 'actually, I have a lot of choices. One I'm seriously considering is taking him out of school entirely' which got them shaking their heads and such but they soon shut up when I continued with 'afterall, as his parent it is my responsibily to ensure he recieves a adeqate education and I have every right to re-register him and teach him myself'
But I can understand what your saying, often you just feel like why both opening my mouth?

ANyways, here things are nothing like as bad and people seem to be generally more accepting even if they think somethings a bit odd. I live on a very standard council estate but I know of one other person at least who has chickens andI have been told that an old man further down our street has a sheep I was quite surprised recently to find out that a family near us who look like junk food eating, glued to the tv, money, money types are completely not and have been growing there own veg this year with great success :)

I can see the teachers face now 'look miss. heres those vegtable crisps yu said didn't exist'

[Stonehead]

[I have to say some of you guys live in the wierdest places ever.

We've found three distinct groups who have problems with eating fruit and veg.

There are the locals who eat battered deep fried pizza, deep fried burgers and the like. They just don't see the point in eating veg - unless it's chips!

Then there are the locals who see carrots, neeps, barley and the like as animal food. Mainly farmers, they tend to go for pork or mutton with mash/roast potatoes and pickles.

Then are the suburban troglodytes who are on perpetual diets, want everything untouched by human hands, hygenically sealed and packed, and think ryvita with lo-fat cream cheese, a lo-fat snack bar, a lo-fat muffin and a can of diet cola is a healthy lunch.

The first two groups don't give a hoot about fresh fruit and veg, the latter group think that anything that comes directly out of the ground, off a tree, out a chicken's bum or off an animal is "disgusting". Anything with "fat" is unhealthy so therefore "lo-fat" is good (in fact, one mum memorably asked if our carrots were lo-fat ).

What I find particularly odd is the way these people think a healthy diet is eating mainly branded diet ready meals and drinks. Have you every looked at the ingredients list for some of them? Ugh!