Who remembers being able to bring in cupcakes or brownies to be able to celebrate your birthday in school? (OK, I didn’t because I had a summer birthday, and in “the olden days” teachers weren’t concerned about “fair and equitable” celebrations in honor of each child.)

But still, Halloween parties, Christmas parties, and Valentines parties and birthday cupcakes were the stuff that made going to school the other 160-170 days a year bearable.

My kids’ school district just came out with a Wellness Policy, and while there is other good stuff in there, it was lost in this simple sentence,

“Practices addressed shall include parties and celebrations, individual student snacks, fund-raisers, vending, sale of food on campus during school hours (hot dog stands, special event vendors, etc.), field trips, and any food brought into school outside of the school lunch program ... [chief among them is:] Soda and candy shall not be allowed in school.”

Part of the problem is, that along with this, they finally took the vending machines out of the 4th-8th grade school. Why are there vending machines in a 4th-8th grade school anyway? So, they over-corrected for years of overlooking, and now our kids can’t have parties in school. Well, I guess they can have parties, they just can’t have “party food.”

Now, my life revolves around food. I cook for a living. I love to cook. I love to eat. When I’m not cooking or eating, I’m usually thinking about what I’m going to cook or eat. But, here are some important points to note:

1. My kids who are in school are in 5th, 8th, and 10th grade. Hardly planning to bring in cupcakes for their birthdays. And by the time my almost-3-year-old is in school, there will be a whole new set of rules, I’m sure, so I don’t lose sleep over her school experience yet.
2. I’m not a nutritionist, but I try to eat healthy and help my family and clients eat healthy.
3. I believe in moderation. And, I believe in healthy foods first, then your treat.

So, I think the schools are missing a vast teaching opportunity here. If they’re so concerned that kids are trending toward obesity (and if you believe the American Academy of Pediatrics, they are: 1 in 3 kids is overweight or obese), and that kids aren’t getting proper nutrition education and guidance at home, do they really think prohibition is the way to go? That concerns me. I think it would make more sense, if it’s lacking at home, to teach the children proper nutrition at school. (What makes a healthy snack? What makes a special-occasion snack? How often can I have a special-occasion snack? How much is too much? Aren’t these questions we all struggle with from time-to-time anyway?)

And teaching moderation has benefits well beyond the nutritional world. It will set them up for success at managing their lifestyle choices for years to come. I think our new Wellness Policy misses the boat.