Today's directive from the school

Honestly I wonder how stupid schools think parents are.

Today was a missive informing us that 37% of all children in Marin are obese and so we need to send in healthy snacks. I would like to thank the administration for pointing out the obvious. The colossal waste of trees is not appreciated.

Surely we know what is good for our kids and what is not or maybe I am assuming way too much.

Marin is obsessed with image so anyone with a slightly elevated BMI is seen as coming from another area.

(Brief pause as I had to separate a fight- I think that my girls burn quite a few calories in their pursuit of pugilism and the discovery of interesting ways of inflicting pain on the other).

There was a gloriously patronising list of what constitutes an acceptable snack- carrot cake without frosting (the best bit), zucchini bread, grapes.... and how if we encourage children to help us prepare the food then they will eat the good stuff.

There is only one English word that works at this moment- BOLLOCKS! My daughters know when they are being duped and however you attempt to disguise it a grape is still a grape and something from the bowels of Satan in their opinion.

It is an uphill battle to get the little darlings to eat fruit and veg and the tricks and bribery that have been employed to make them unknowingly and unwittingly consume them and frankly I do not take kindly to a blanket letter than points out the obvious.

If there were a cash incentive I wonder how that would work....

Knowing my luck the prize for an increase in consumption of all things healthy would probably be a week's supply of broccoli.

I don't know how to get kids to eat things that are better for them but as far as I know telling them that what they are eating is good for them will not work. There is a rebellious streak in most children so starting a revolution by not eating veg is a good start.

Maybe we just need change the plan of attack and hide the good stuff better!