Caroline (pezzi.shop) took to TikTok to share that her young daughter had arrived home one day saying her teacher told her that she had to eat her “good” foods before her “bad” foods.
According to Caroline, the three-year-old couldn’t eat her sandwich and cucumbers before her cookie, which goes against what the mom tries to teach her toddler about food neutrality.
“In this moment, I felt a little frustrated by the antiquated instruction from the teacher, but I responded saying, ‘Well that’s silly. There are no good foods or bad foods. Food is just food’,” Caroline explained in the caption of the clip.
The frustrated mother then decided to take matters into her own hands by leaving a handwritten note for the teacher. She wrote: “Hi! Evelyn has our permission to eat lunch in any order she chooses. None of her foods are ‘good’ or ‘bad’ – they are just food! Thanks! Caroline & Joey.”
@pezzi.shop Here’s the story: My three-year-old came home from school yesterday, telling me that her teacher told her that she had to eat all of her “good” foods before she ate her “bad” foods. She couldn’t have her cookie before eating her sandwich and cucumbers. In this moment, I felt a little frustrated by the antiquated instruction from the teacher, but I responded saying, “Well that’s silly. There are no good foods or bad foods. Food is just food!” I will say, this was not my internal dialogue growing up, but because of the information that I have from so many great accounts created by moms and experts, in the field of childhood and nutrition, I am armed with better responses, knowledge and practices for my kids. Three years old. At three years old someone has told her that foods are good or bad. I am so proud that she had sensed something was off – to know that was not right enough to tell me about it. We talk about it all the time at home… If you only eat carrots or broccoli your body won’t have protein it needs to grow strong muscles. If you only eat chicken, your body won’t have enough energy to do things like run and play all day long. We need little bits of everything to make sure that we are able to learn and play and grow all day long. So to the accounts that make sure we have the words, knowledge and confidence to write the note and practice it at home, I thank you, thank you, thank you. It has changed our family for the better. What you do and what you share is so important to young families. #kidsnutrition #kidseatincolor #solidstarts #kidfood #babyledweaning toddlers moms babies family @Jennifer Anderson, MSPH RD @Feeding Littles @Kacie Barnes, MCN, RDN @Food Science Babe
Viewers in the comments were divided on whether this was the right approach to take, with some criticizing the mom.
“I’m sure the teacher wasn’t trying to be cruel … maybe you could have talked to the teacher instead of a passive aggressive note on your three-year-old’s lunch,” one user commented.
“There is a reason that child goes to that preschool, a reason why this lady is a teacher, and a reason why she checks if they are eating or what. It is her job…” another said.
However, most people sided with Caroline, and agreed that there was no such thing as “good” and “bad” food. “As a former teacher, my thought was the parents packed their kid’s lunch with the intent they eat it; in whatever order or amount!” one person wrote.
“The narrative of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ food can actually encourage harmful eating habits to develop,” another added. “Good for you for saying something! I would be happy if my child ate the food, in any order,” a third shared.