Yeah, you heard me. I’m coming down against team snacks. I’m coming down hard.
First of all, when did this start? I can guarantee that my parents weren’t scrambling to pull together any team snacks during my childhood. This is something our generation came up with, isn’t it? No doubt it’s supposed to foster a sense of community and sharing. I’m sure some people even think it’s easier to bring a snack for everyone every few weeks than it is to bring a small snack for just their own kid every time. Maybe the kids look forward to the snack and it’s healthy and good for them and isn’t that all that matters? Huh? Isn’t it?!
No, man. It’s not.
The most important thing to consider should be that I am so over the food politics of parenting. Breastmilk! Formula! Breast! Bottle! Organic! Affordable! Made-from-scratch! Convenient! Shut up! And now I’m supposed to come up with a refreshing and wholesome and non-processed snack that will contain no major allergens and that all the kids will like. Fuck me.
The amount of anxiety I had picking up a watermelon last week was ridiculous. Because maybe it was too cold for watermelon and was it even enough? And also because I was trying to feed my kids a healthy, homemade dinner at the crack of 5pm in order to get their asses to the t-ball diamond in time and have you ever tried to carve up a watermelon and spoon feed a baby at the same time? While you’re also refilling milk glasses and breaking up fork fights? THIS is why I starve all day and then resort to snacking on junk late at night and can’t lose the baby weight. Stupid team snack.
So I call bullshit on team snack because it is fraught with politics and anxiety. But I also call bullshit because nobody really wants to do it, do they? Am I wrong? Speak up you team snack lovers! Nobody wants to deal with coming up with a snack on the way from work to the ball park. Nobody needs another thing to deal with in the after school scramble. And since I have two other children who get to sit through every game and practice, I still need to pack a snack on my off days.
Are you with me or against me, bad moms? And if you’re with me, can we please figure out a way to put an end to this charade of communal snacking bliss? Please!
About Rebecca
Hear hear!
When did our children lose the ability to go for 2 hours without food?? My kids went to preschool from 9 – 11:30 where they had to have (group) snack every damn day. They make it just fine between breakfast and lunch on the days when they’re home and I don’t provide individually packaged crackers or fruit snacks (because of course you can’t just buy a box of crackers because that’s too hard for the teachers to pass out to 22 kids. 22!).
We put them in swim classes at the municipal pool, and on the last day instead of having swimming, every single kid had to bring a treat to share – so my kids came home from this activity (which was supposed to be healthy) with a bag full of cookies and candy and crap. I call bullshit.
I’ll feed my kids, you feed yours, right? Jesus…
Speaking of which, I need to call the parks department about stupid treat day.
Amy´s last [type] ..Great Weekend!
We do team snacks for my son’s t-ball team but it’s always just a bag of animal crackers or some fruit snacks. It’s not stressful at all. I guess we’re weird in Oklahoma? :)
-Fruit_vegies-such as cucumbers and carorts,-Rice Cakes cream cheese-Apple sauce arrowroot cookies or similar-Goldfish-Pretzels-home made trail mix plain cheerios, some raisins, a few chocolate chips-Cheese crackers-Granola bars-the ones that are filled with fruit inside..
Ok, check this out – so I just called the director of the parks and rec here and he had NEVER HEARD OF the practice of snack day! He asked me to send him an email and said he’d address it with the staff! SCORE!!!!
Sometimes all it takes is one parent willing to be the squeaky wheel, to get these stupid practices banished! YAY!
Amy´s last [type] ..Great Weekend!
I laughed so hard at this post. I don’t know why. My kids are not really old enough to have organized play that would include group snacks but it seems pretty shitty to me too. It also seems to me that kids are eating too many snacks and not enough meals. My kids can handle going a few hours without snacks and if they need an energy booster while we’re out, I bring them our own food. And I share with one or two of their friends if they want. Or they share if we forget. But that’s it.
Shhhhhhh! If you keep talking about it, someone around here might get the idea and then I will have to compete, I mean, come up with snack ideas for my kids’ teams too! Stop. Talking. Now. As it stands right now, we do not do this and I am so glad for it. I agree…it is unecessary and a huge pain. Why can’t all the other parents grab an apple on the way out the door too?
My *favourite* thing about providing snack for the team sports – is when 1 or 2 “super moms” get together and “assign” each family a game to bring snack to – and then say “if you are going to be away, YOU need to switch with another family, because we ALL have to provide snack” You’d wouldn’t BELIEVE the angst and panic this causes amongst the parents whose vacation DARES to fall on their assigned snack day! Last year, at my daughters T-ball – a parent called us to switch – but we were away the week they wanted us to switch… well, the failed to communicate that to the “super moms” – so when we were away – and the other family was away – and no snack appeared… WE were “at fault” ’cause the other family had arranged for US to cover?? WTF??
Yes – I’m not crazy about snack either – though I’ve learned – keep it easy – I do popsicles for every snack I’m assigned now… !!!
Yes for the win! I’m with you! Even if it’s a bag of something you still have to pick it up and you still have to think about it and you still have to pay for it too– and even if we’re over the food politics (mostly with you there too), I don’t need my daughter eating the crap parents bring to school and the crap she eats at her friends’ houses and the crap she eats for team snack. Is it a huge deal? Probably not. Is it unecessary? DEFINITELY
Kids find them fun I think— but why is everything ALWAYS centered around food? I ask you— it’s all about food these days. Can’t kids get together and do their team thing without the food? Awesome piece–