Tuesday, August 30, 2005

The post about schools which makes me ask myself: Am I Becoming a Liberal?! :)

I was visiting a blog today and my attention was drawn to 2 articles about school programs, specifically schools offering breakfast. The original article I read is here and she referred to the article that inspired her to write, which is here.

So, in case you aren't up on schools today, they now have breakfast, not just lunch. Your child can take the bus to school, go have breakfast, and then start their school day with a full belly. Both of these blog entries seemed to take offense at the idea that school systems seem to be taking over more and more parental responsibilities. Not only is the education provided for, but now we also have 2 meals a day (plus snacks in some grades), some health care, transportation, and very often they have after school programs that go until dinner time or beyond in some cases.

I can understand the idea that we want parents to actually take care of their children, and we want children to actually be spending time with their parents. We don't like the idea of children just being turned over to the state school system for everything except for baths and a place to sleep. Absolutely! But, the thing I have to consider when I look at these programs is who is taking advantage of them, and why, and what the alternative would be if the program wasn't there.

I believe that just about every school program that is out there has come to exist because of a real or perceived need within our society. These needs are not just abstract--they are specific, real, adults and children, who for whatever reason, need a helping hand.

In my own small town the incomes are rather low (the majority of the children at our elementary school qualify for reduced or free meals) and the education level of adults is also low. I think of the families that are struggling to pay their bills, the families who work 2, 3, and 4 jobs or more between the parents, in order to try to do all the things they should for their kids. I think of moms who are either at work, or are so tired and short on time that they literally cannot attend parent-teacher conferences or holiday musicals or orchestra concerts, let alone help make toothpick Indian villages or help their child learn math facts. If there is something that can be done to lighten their load, I'm in favor of that.

If kids are hungry, I want them fed.
If kids are going to be unsupervised after school if they go home, I want them safe and occupied someplace else.
If kids need extra help with their schoolwork and there is nobody at home that can provide it, I want somebody else to.
If kids need clothing, blankets, or winter boots, I want them clothed.

Know what? Jesus is of the same opinion:

Matthew 25:35 For I was hungry, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
36
Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
37
Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
38
When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? 39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
40
And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
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Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
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For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
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I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
44
Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
45
Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
46
And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

Many people would say that it is not the job of the government to provide for people in this way, although I am not aware of any place in the Bible that tells us this is so. However, would it be somehow preferable if churches were providing these services instead? Maybe. But then of course you get into all the churches that decide not to offer day care or mother's day out programs because a mother's place is in the home, and they are essentially turning their back on the needs of the struggling, poor, hungry, and fatherless of our society. If your church is offering some sort of ministry that takes care of such needs, I hope you will support it in whatever way you are able. If not, perhaps you could look at the school programs as an opportunity for outreach. My friend Sooz spend some time last year reaching out in her children's school by going in a few times a week to help some kids with math that they were struggling in. My friend Alana of Morning Coffee did the same, but to help children with reading. These are women who love the Lord and saw an opportunity to use their gifts to reach out to some children in need. Maybe they weren't able to give out tracts or do a Bible study or pray with the child, but they were able to smile and give a hug and show some genuine care and let God's love shine through them. The Matthew 5 passage doesn't say, "Feed 'em and teach 'em a hymn." It's just meet needs. Meet needs. Care for people. See the needs and reach out. Seems to me this is a good thing whether it comes directly from a church, or if it comes the long way around, via the school system/gov't.

In my own situation, when I was completely strung out a couple years ago with 3 babies born in 3 years, and my husband and I decided to put our older kids into school, we were Very Thankful to have a good resource to fall back on. We found that our local school was great to work with, and that our children got a decent education there. (far better than they would have gotten at home those years) Some of my children have (gasp!) even eaten breakfast at school (as well as lunch) and by crackie, I was thankful for that too! It was a big help to me, a tired mother of a newborn, if we woke up late some morning, to be able to have my children grab breakfast at school, because they didn't have time to eat and meet the bus on time, and I couldn't bear to wake up 3 babies in order to drive everybody to school. (some days I didn't even have a car available!) One of my children loved school breakfast, and he isn't a child who likes to have to eat right when he wakes up. He was already tired from his school schedule, so I wasn't about to wake him up extra early just so he could be up long enough to want to eat, either. It simply made sense for him to eat breakfast at school. And you know what? There's nothing wrong with that.


The school breakfasts usually include milk, juice, something hot like eggs or pancakes, some fruit, and cereal. This is a better breakfast than most kids get even in the best homes! I find it hard to see how we would laud the mom that feeds her kids a breakfast of Lucky Charms or even Bran Flakes, and then villify the mom who can let her child eat eggs and oranges and milk at school. Sorry, folks, but eating breakfast at school isn't necessarily a bad thing and doesn't mean a parent is a slacker.

The experience of having kids in school has certainly broadened my perspective, and increased my respect and compassion for others. I could barely help all my kids with homework, and I *was* there when they got off the bus! How does the woman who has to work and doesn't get home until 6pm manage to make dinner, help with homework, clean the house, spend time with her kids, give them baths, and hang out with her husband in the few hours she has before she falls asleep? I can't hardly imagine, because all of those things have been a struggle to me, and I'm sitting at home all the time!

I know a family that has 2 little boys in preschool this year. In their school district, preschool is offered 5 days a week, all day long. So, the plan for these kids is breakfast, lunch, nap, and snack at school. Well, guess what? These parents felt that this was a little excessive. So, real simply, they adjusted their involvement at preschool. They worked out a compromise with the school, and now the mom picks up the kids from school after lunch so that they can nap in their own beds and have more time at home. So, just because something is available doesn't mean everybody is going to use it. However, for the parents that would otherwise be paying day care full time, I'm sure it's a real blessing to have the children in preschool for free instead! Is that a bad thing? I guess some would say so... But I don't. If by relieving these parents of the cost of day care they can now pay their bills, buy a home, work one less job and therefore be home with their children more, well, I'm thinking that's a good thing. By the school offering preschool, we haven't eliminated the need for something for the children to do while the parents are working, but we have given a helping hand to these families.

Are there families that utilize these services and programs that are not truly in need of them? Probably. Frankly, I don't care. If we were to set up some way to decide who does and does not qualify for these programs, to come up with the paperwork, and then pay somebody to sort through all the papers and send out notices to let everybody know if they got in or not, blah blah blah ad nauseum, it would probably cost more than to just go ahead and have it be for whoever decides they want the service. There are plenty of unseen reasons that people need extra help that can't always be quantified on paper. Personally, I'm satisfied to trust people to use their own judgement about their use of services. My experience in my own community is that although it is largely poor and undereducated, that parents turn out in droves for school functions, that parents try hard to do their best for their kids, that parents love their kids and don't want to let them down, and that they want to help their kids do well in life. Past that, I don't have the energy to go around supposing the motivations of other people's actions. If they say they want junior to get breakfast at school or to stay for after school services, that's good enough for me. (Conversely, if they are the kind of parents looking for a way to pawn their kids off on others, they will find a way to do that, too. Do I want it to be on my dime? No. But, like I said, it'll cost plenty of money to keep 'em out, too.)

I think that for a lot of America, they look at these comments by homeschool mothers who are kind of shocked and horrified and saying, "Well, how can YOU call yourself a PARENT when you don't even feed your kids breakfast or be home to get them off of the bus?" and know that these people have absolutely no clue about the harsh realities of their lives.

I've said it before, I'll say it again:

Home educating familes of the world, you are blessed. Blessed far beyond your own appreciation, many times. Your children are capable enough learners that you are able to teach them without outside help. Your income, humble though it may be, probably still allows you to have one parent stay at home full time with your children. You somehow have the intelligence, health, stamina, and resources to purchase curriculum and learn how to do the teaching that your children need. Your spouse is willing to work hard so that you can stay home, and do without the comparitive financial ease that would probably exist if you had a paying career.

For many people in our society, the life of a homeschooling family is a fantasy world that they cannot imagine ever being possible for them. For whatever reasons, they do not have what it takes to be able to homeschool, and maybe they never will. When homeschool advocates look down their noses and complain about how the rest of society gets the job of parenting done, it seems to me to smack of ignorance and a lack of grace for others. Personally, I want to be humbly thankful for the blessings I have in life, and to be genuinely respectful of others, even if they can't or don't live like I do.



19 comments:

Dollymama said...

Kiss kiss to you too!

One of the things that made me want to jump on this issue is that I find it so sad and polarizing when Christians/homeschoolers/other perfect life people LOL get railing on things like this. They don't seem to understand, and they seem to lack compassion for others. Hardly a path worth going down.

So can you find me some more people that like to read and comment about stuff that is deeper than cute things my kids said and potty stories? I wish I had more intelligent chatter around here!

~B said...

After reading your post, I am hearing that you are saying that a lot of homeschool people are complaining about non-homeschool people putting their kids in public school and having the school provide them with breakfast, lunch and snack etc, etc,.I agree with the fact that HS and others get their shorts in a twist.... Let me put my two cents in about parenting etc....

My parents both worked since I was in 5th grade. I always got breakfast at home and I always had supper at home. I didn't go to preschool, but I did go to regular school since Kindergarten, I was never homeschooled. My parents took incredible care of me. When I was sick, they immediately got off (one or the other) and took care of me. They always made it clear that the children always came before their jobs. My dad would have quit being that president of the United States if it meant taking care of his kids.
So, I completely understand parents that both work.

This is what I cannot understand: In this day and age, we get married and have kids (or the other way around), we buy houses that we *can't afford* and we buy cars that we *can't afford* either. We put our kids in preschool/daycare or whatever and we work our tails off. We have our toys, they have their toys. We are separated all day and then we maybe grab a quick bite to eat at night before we shuffle them into bed with a quick uttered prayer and a quick kiss and then the cycle starts all over again.

Mom and Dad work two or maybe more jobs, so that they can wear "Ralph Lauren" and have the new items in their new homes and they ship their kids off to Grandma's house a lot so that they can go and play with their "toys" that they have been working so hard for. So, my whole point is this: YES, there are definitely both parents who HAVE to work, they would not be able to put food in their children's mouths. BUT I definitely see it (around here anyway) where people have children almost as a "toy"~ you get one when you want one and then you try to raise it.

I sound so critical, I don't want to, but I see it so much in my families that I am involved in. Parents both work, have fabulous toys, fabulous clothes, very expensive houses and decorations and then there's the kids; they have fabulous toys and clothes and all that, BUT do they have any sort of family relationships with any one at home? So, that is what I think. I think that people who have kids need to think twice before they have them, if all they are going to do with them is put them to bed at night.

I just get scared when I think of a generation of so many kids growing up without the parents there for them, if we are so focused on our material possesions.

Whew! :) I hope I made sense!!! Please know that I mean no offense at all. :)

~B

Dollymama said...

Another joiner to the discussion! Yay!

I think you make some excellent points about families and children in today's society. Indeed, I have seen some families with the gigantic, all new, everything perfect homes, new perfect vehicles, and they are barely home to enjoy any of it.

I guess that for me, in my town, I see *nobody* wearing designer clothes or living in hoity-toity houses. Literally nobody. So from my hands-on perception, it doesn't seem to me like this is happening much right around here. I know it does in other places, though.

My husband has told me more than once that he has observed families where it seems like the parents only had children as sort of an accessory to their lives. Very sad for everybody, but especially for the children.

In the Parental Guidance Required class that my husband and I attended (it's from North Point Resources, for those of you who may care to check it out) it discussed how there seems to be a trend in our society to bring up children experientially rich and relationally poor. The kids may have ballet and gymnastics and Montessori school and Game Boys, but they don't have time spent in the hammock in the back yard with mom or dad, telling them stories about when they were kids, or looking at bugs.

I think there is a lack of preparation for life with kids. People don't get the good advice about living within or below their means. They are given the message that it is not ok for them to be an authority in their kids life, so they are at a loss for how to get them to behave. Even churches keep the run-run-run hysteria of life going by offering multiple programs through the week and putting a lot of pressure on families to attend. It becomes one more place to run to and be divided by.

One of the reasons I like our church so much is that it is aware of this problem and refuses to contribute to it. We only have Sunday morning service, and it is structured so that the parents share in half of the kid's time so that the whole family is on the same page with what's being taught. The parents also have tools to take home and use through the week. The church sees itself as a help to the parents, not as a place to take over the parent's job.

I think that for those of us with perhaps some better "consciousness" about these issues, we can encourage along the families that come our way, one at a time. We can help young people learn about smart ways to deal with their money so they don't fall into the trap of credit cards and having to have both spouses work if they do not want to. We can value our own opportunities with our kids, and speak well of it to others. We can be generous in sharing with young couples how we work things out to do the things we do. There are a lot of possibilities.

Mainly, I think that when I see comments by homeschoolers pointing fingers and saying, "All of you are doing a really cruddy job of parenting over there!" it's just so polarizing and doesn't allow us to be any sort of encouragement to others. The people on the other side may be yelling, "All of you homeschoolers wear denim jumpers and have weird kids who have no friends!" and they are just as wrong. (hopefully!LOL)

I've been saddened by the kind of snotty tone that a lot of the Christian homeschoolers have had, and it makes me think that maybe they just aren't aware of how things are for a lot of people out there. It was interesting to me that when I was homeschooling people would make a lot of similar negative comments about public schools and people who gave up on homeschooling and put their kids into schools. Interestingly, when they knew ME and knew what MY specific situation was, everybody was very supportive that I took 2 years off from homeschooling. Why? Because when you see the situation through the lens of a real person's situation, it's easier to understand and have compassion than when it's all just a big, blurry generality. I think a lot more is to be gained by remembering that there are real people within all those generalities.

Everybody join hands now.... We are the world.....we are the children....

I believe the children are our future....teach them well and let them lead the way....

ok, i'm getting tired! Enough with the singing. Turn that music off!

razorbackmama said...

I'm tired so I'll make this short. :-)

B, what you expressed is EXACTLY what I was talking about. I didn't post my post as a homeschoolers vs. public/private schoolers thing, especially since I have lots of friends who don't homeschool. But what you referred to is exactly what I was referring to.

Dollymama said...

Kirstin, you arrived! Yay!

~B said...

"Teach them well and let them show the way" Sing it Michael!!Stop holding hands with Webster!!!

;-)~B

razorbackmama said...

LOL DM I think I'm glad it took me a couple days - B saved me a whole lot of typing. ;-)

Spunky said...

What bothers me is that somehow those that are for these programs are some how more compassionate and those against less so. It is not compassion when you are taking from one to give to another. For any other entitiy to do such a thing would be called stealing. Yet, somehow the government gets away with taking our money and spending it in ways for their choosing. This is hardly a benevolent attitude. And that is what I condemn.

I might choose to spend it that way myself and I might not that is the liberty that the Consitution allows. Because I am a Christian I am compelled to take care of the poor. But the state is not a Christian entitity. For the state to force a value with my money is the very opposite of benevolence.

Forced benevolence assumes that people are selfish and unwilling to give on their own. But selfishness is not illegal as far as I know. And a state that requires taxation to pay for these programs is by its nature declaring itself selfish. For it assumes that the needs of the state are higher than the individual.

Dollymama said...

So Spunky, I guess your options are to work toward legislation that reduces or eliminates taxpayer money going toward these things, and find ways for those that *should* to meet them, or you can find a country that you would prefer. I am very curious what country you would find better.

I think that people who are against compassionate programs AND have no reasonable alternative to suggest are indeed lacking in compassion. Christians shouldn't be a part of this group. I see a whole lot of very rude, demeaning, and negative comments about public services and education from homeschoolers, yet almost nothing from these people in the way of wanting to help be a part of a realistic solution. It seems like the Christian homeschool mom attitude toward those that avail themselves of programs "too bad for you. You should be doing things the right way like me and my family do..." That's pretty stinky, in my opinion.

On the subject of compassion and gov't, I would say that a nation founded on Christian principles is one that should be practicing compassion from the government on down to the regular person. For a government that is representational of the people, I think that programs that meet needs are ones that the majority of people want. If this is not the case, the people should speak up and help make a change.

Is there waste in gov't? YES! Is there garbage in gov't programs? YES! Do I think it's perfect? NO! Thankfully, we have ways to go about making our voice heard. Maybe you or your husband would like to run for some public office. (Seriously!) You seem very passionate about your views and I am sure many would want to work with you on those.

I read your blog, Spunky, so I suspect that we might just have to agree to disagree on this. (I agree with you on CTBHHM, though!)

Dollymama said...

You know, I just wanted to add a couple of things.

I am not in favor of creating a situation where people are dependent on gov't assistance to live. I do not call that compassion. I call that a disservice!

What I am in favor of is for needs of children to be met (because our beef is with their parents, not the kids), and for people in unexpected and emergency situations to have the help they need to get back on their feet.

I know some people have mentioned living in affluent areas where parents have lots of toys but apparently don't want to take responsibility for their own kids. If I lived in a place like that I certainly would not be in support of providing free parenting services for these people. If they have the means and they want to neglect their kids, they can do it on their own dime. So, in my post I said I didn't care if people that didn't need it slipped through. This is my amendment to that. :)

In my case I live in a place where people are very poor and I have the perception that there are many true needs. We don't have any after school programs or anything fancy to help people out around here. SOmetimes it seems like there could stand to be more. There are some ministries spearheaded by church members to reach out to the youth in the community, but that is about all I see for "extras."

In the case of public education, I think there are a lot of good ideas "out there" for possible alternatives. I am in favor of many of those, but until they come to fruition, we've got what we've got. Not every place has a cruddy school system.

Hope that clears up a few things.

Spunky said...

DM you said

I see a whole lot of very rude, demeaning, and negative comments about public services and education from homeschoolers, yet almost nothing from these people in the way of wanting to help be a part of a realistic solution. It seems like the Christian homeschool mom attitude toward those that avail themselves of programs "too bad for you. You should be doing things the right way like me and my family do..." That's pretty stinky, in my opinion.

It is not a personal attack on those that avail themsevles to the program. That is an unfair assessment of our analysis. I don't assume that one who is against my postion is attacking me personally. And it has nothing to do with doing things "my way". That is also unjustified. However, just because I don't have my children in the system and choose not to participate in the government provided programs I don't surrender my right to talk about them. It is my money that they are using to fund these programs. Many of which we would ourselves qualify for (our income is quite low.) As long as the government takes our money I am free to analyze its use.

Our country was indeed founded on Christian principles. But it is not a Chrisitan act of love for one group of people to take the money of another and spend in on things of their choosing. This is not benevolence it is stealing. Hardly an attribute that a Christian nation would want to practice.

We don't have alot of money. Our income is modest and some would consider way too small. And yet, I would never think of demanding that you pay for my school supplies because I home educate. Nor would I think it prudent to petitition the government on my behalf and force them to take your money and give it me. That isn't right. But yet that is what is going on. If it isn't fair one way it isn't fair the other.

As far as offering alternatives. They are easy. WHen you brother is in need you meet that need an encourage others around you to help in that effort. That's what we do. And give until the need is met. We have done that countless times and watched others overcome difficult circumstances and many come to know Christ.

You shall love the Lord your God an Love your neighbor as yourself.

But a government cannot force me to love my neighbor. Selfishness is not illegal and forced giving is not compassionate.

Thanks for your encouragement to consider another side of this. I am always challenged by honest discussion on the issues and their merits.

Dollymama said...

Hi again, Spunky. Thanks for your comments. It's so nice to have people come and share ideas about issues!

The types of comments that stuck in my craw, so-to-speak were ones like these:

Kirstin's comments to the extent that parents who only spend 3-4 hours a day with their kids are not deserving of the title of parent. (http://razorbackmama.blogspot.com/2005/08/breakfast-of-big-government.html)
(I'm thinking that when I was a teenager and had a lot of after school activities and had jobs, my parents probably didn't spend 3 or 4 hours with me many days at all. Amazingly, they were still parents!)

and your own insinuation that by parents allowing their children to buy breakfast at school they are somehow getting to the point where they need only check their child out like a library book. link: http://spunkyhomeschool.blogspot.com/2005/08/breakfast-of-big-government.html

I see this same sort of sentiment in egroups that I am in where there are a lot of conservative Christian homeschoolers. A lot of jeers, a lot of what looks to me to be meanspiritedness, and a lot of lack of appreciation for the situations that others are in that makes them unable to even consider a different kind of life than what they have.

Obviously, you can say what you want to say about the government, how tax money is spent, write about it on your blog, and complain all you want! :) You can even do all of that and not try to do anything about it. Isn't this a great country??

However, in your blog entry that started this whole thing ;), you weren't seeming to complain about the tax money. You seemed like you were complaining that parents would actually allow their children to buy breakfast at school. (BTW, it seemed like you were thinking those breakfasts were going to be free. Did it say that? I was thinking they were going to be for sale.) That was the same focus at Razorback as well. NOT about taxes. Seems like you are now trying to add a different issue in. If we want to discuss taxes, you and I would probably agree quite a bit. I'm just talking about the way things actually *are* right now.

All I was trying to address in the first place was how sad it made me to see Christians making comments that seemed so negative, so lacking in understanding, so lacking in compassion, about families that don't homeschool, about families where 2 parents work, about families that have their kids eating free or reduced meals at school, or needing to go to the Y to hang out someplace safe until their parents come to get them. Or even for parents with so few skills or so little love and concern for their kids that they don't do very well for them. I see a lot of needs around our town, and I hear about more. My own family is already pretty strapped financially so our ability to do much for these needs is limited. Oftentimes there are needs in our society that need an organized response, and although individuals are often very willing to help, it is not always practical to have a piece-meal response to needs.

When a lack of help for people in need means that our entire society would/could suffer (through crime, disease, lack of education, or whatever) then it seems reasonable to me that the government would use some tax money to try to alleviate these problems. I can appreciate it that you apparently do not think this is reasonable, though, and that you feel that taxes are government-sponsored theft. You have some good points there. Like I said, I think that people like you should work on changing things. If we could manage to tax less and help people in true need at the same time, I would be right on board with you. Libertarians have some interesting ideas about taxes and such that are very appealing to me in theory, but I am unsure how it would work out in real life.

Spunky said...

You are right that in that post I did not bring up the tax issue. I would not have brought it up here except that there were some who felt that I was not compassionate in my response to those who are unable to provide basic needs for their family. That's why I brought it up.

The reason I included the library comment is because they are SEEKING particiaption in the program and a look at their website included in the article demonstrated that they are marketing this to busy parents NOT poor parents. It was contrived to make their life EASIER and bring SIMPLICITY to their life just like a library does. I don't see that as mean spirited at all. It is an honest assessment of what is being promoted.

Here's the link to that portion.

http://www.breakfastbreaks.com/parents/index.php

The website would not let me copy a small portion from their website so I just left it off completely. If it will help I'll re-edit the post to inlcude the link to make that more clear.

The governments job is NOT to make a parents life easier. And the idea that some would benefit from taxes becomes arbitrary based on the governments decision on who is needy. To use the taxes to alleviate one man's suffering or make life easier for one could in fact create a difficult situation for another and make life for them more difficult.

Some may think my solution of "love thy neighbor" simplistic and utopian. But I serve a big God. He changed my heart from one of selfishness to a heart centered on Him. I trust that HE can do the same in those around me. And my prayer is that HE will.

Dollymama said...

OK, with the seeking participation thing, I interpreted the article as more of an expansion of it. Like, if your town has a McDonalds and since it got a good reception, now my town is going to get a McDonalds. That sort of thing.

Now, as I am looking over the web site, I am not seeing why you are making it sound like this is coming from the government. I am seeing "East Side Entrees" listed as the company who creates and distributes Breakfast Breaks. Is this a gov't org, or are you just annoyed at gov't schools offering this? Looks to me like a private company that wants to market their wares through the schools. I don't see how Breakfast Breaks is any worse than pepsi machines, Domino's Pizza, and regular meal services being offered in the schools. In fact, I wonder if by schools offering breakfast breaks they might be spending less taxpayer money by not hiring kitchen staff. (although I will admit it is hard to imagine the gov't purposely trying to spend *less* tax money on schools!!)(I just found a mention of this very thing. They are saying that the hiring of kitchen staff, timing, or logistical issues have kept some schools from serving breakfast. They feel that their product overcomes those difficulties.)

My guess is that Breakfast Breaks probably cost over a dollar a piece, so you are right that it is probably a program for convenience rather than need, as most fast food is. (although i think plenty of teens in particular would rather sleep as long as possible and then grab a Breakfast Break at school. I don't know that this is all about the parents.)

From the school standpoint, you are right that their job is not to make the parent's life easier. I am thinking that their job is to educate children. If some children are arriving at school unfed, perhaps they would learn better if there were fed. Maybe that is all they are thinking.

Personally, from a health standpoint, I would not allow my children to eat Breakfast Breaks. Those are kind of cruddy, nutritionally.

Kristin said...

Dolly Mama the original article stated and I quote

which many schools hope will increase participation in the federally-funded national
School Breakfast Program.

They may be using an outside company as a preparer of the meals but this IS a federally funded program. And the idea that they are expanding this like a McD's is amazing. Since when is the government in the fast food business?

Now I hope this is not taken as mean spirited and uncompassionate. I don't have it all together. I'm not one of those "perfect" homeschool families. I'm just a mom who enjoys something a little more than cute stories about my children and potty stories. I examine what is before me and look at it in light of the Scripture and the Constitution. Those are the things that I as a Christian and a citizen of this great land I hope to live by. And when I see things that are in sharp contrast to that I point them out.

Spunky said...

That was Spunky not Spunky Jr. in that last comment. I didn't realize my daughter had signed in. But it's a good thing she's alot younger and better looking than me!

Dollymama said...

Well, schools have been using outside contractors for meals for quite awhile now. Apparently kids like "brand name" food. We're in a fast food kind of world, eh?

I would guess that the Breakfast Buddy people are probably also looking to spread their wares to hospital cafeterias, day cares, and any place else that people end up early in the morning in need of a bite to eat.

So, be it right or wrong, we do have government schools. Should they serve no meals at all? Or is lunch ok with you but not breakfast? Vending machines? Where do you draw the line? And are breakfast buddies just particularly upsetting to you, or just the idea that some kids eat breakfast at school instead of at home?

Spunky, your daughter is adorable. I've seen your pic in TOS, though, and you're plenty adorable too. :)

Spunky said...

I have no problem with people marketing a product like this. That's the American way. I have problem when the government uses my money to buy them though. And then turns around and markets them as a convenience to hurried parents.

Like I said, you would never think it appropriate for me to take your money to pay for my school books but somehow no one is troubled when the others take my money and spend on their kids.

I am hardly upset about this. (I love a good discussion too!) But what surprises me is how willing people are to give up their responsibilities.

But those are blogs for another day. Nice discussion...gotta run.

Dollymama said...

Hi!
Not to beat a dead horse, but....

Truly, I am asking this for information. I don't know the answer. What I am wondering is, if the Breakfast Buddies are for sale, is the government still somehow paying for part of it? I am thinking that by offering BBs and deleting the need for kitchen staff, that there would be less gov't spending overall.

For the kids that qualify for BBs for free or reduced price, they are from families who are low enough income to be considered needy, so the gov't picks up the difference. Right?

Of course, some families qualify for free or reduced meals but do not choose to use that because they prefer to provide their own food.