I may be Mom on a Mission. Even Soccer Mom Gone Wild. But I am not Orange Slice Mom.
In a hilarious piece on the Huffington Post, mom and senior writer Ann Brenoff says she’s tired of the tryannical Orange Slice Moms and their demands for certified organic fruit and gluten-free snacks bars.
She writes:
Snacks, by definition, are supposed to be a treat. But instead of regarding them as such, a competition has arisen among mothers to best the previous week’s snack mom. If she brought $20 worth of organic grapes (in addition to the oranges, filtered waters and gluten-free power bars that taste like cardboard), this week’s snack mom will do all that plus watermelon slices and healthy gummy bears.
Orange Slice Mom sounds an awful lot like Organic Mom. And let’s face it, she can be a little high-maintenance.
I’ve said many times that kids don’t really need snacks after soccer. Around here, games last an hour, tops. And most people in my community live about five minutes away from the soccer fields. Post-game snacks could be eliminated entirely and no player would ever fall over from starvation. Even better, nobody would need to coordinate a snack schedule or make an extra trip to the store because they forgot it was their turn.
On my son’s last two teams, parents took a vote at the beginning of the season: fresh fruit or no snack. In both cases, parents voted for fruit. Some say they enjoy the ritual of sharing food together as a team. Many appreciate the extra exposure their child gets to fresh fruit–and the positive peer pressure to try some. (I say, I’m fine either way.)
But sometimes, parents can’t agree on what the snack should be. Though I’ve been lucky to have coaches and parents on my son’s teams who supported bringing fruit, other well-intentioned moms have run up against disagreement and downright hostility. In those cases, a no-snack policy is smart. Let each parent decide what’s best for their child and call it a day.
But for Heaven’s sake, let’s not go overboard with healthy snacks. Asking parents to supply only organic fruit isn’t fair or feasible. Yes, we’ve had parents who wanted to do something special–like fruit kebabs or grapes in sticker-adorned bags. The kids loved it. But I also try to set an example early in the season of simply bringing bananas or a cooler full of apples so parents know that they don’t have to spend a lot of time or money.
As much as I enjoyed Brenoff’s post, I do disagree with this: “By definition, snacks are supposed to be a treat.” Actually, snacks have become treats. And if research is right and kids are snacking three times a day, that’s the real problem.
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Kristin says
Wow! This soccer snack thing has become a real issue. I think in general I don’t like my kids fed junk, whether on the soccer field or at a friend’s house after school. On the flip side, I am completely sensitive to the fact that not every family can afford to buy organic fruit or other types of “cardboard” junk. Can’t we just say a “healthful snack” and leave it at that? The coach can give healthy suggestions and parents can choose from a list? That way, if they are totally against oranges or can’t afford organic, they have a few affordable options. Why make it so difficult and, much to my shock, a competition! eek!
Susan of Litttle Ladies Who Lunch says
Your last paragraph nails it. Not sure where the confusion between snacks and treats started, but it is fever pitch. Thank you. :0)
Danielle Omar, Food Confidence RD says
I also disagree with the idea that snacks are treats. As you said, snacks have become treats! As a dietitian who helps people lose weight, I think when I say have a mid-day snack, they think “I get a treat.” We have to come up with another word for it! Sometimes I say mini-meal and it makes more sense.
Robin Jingjit says
I really agree that snacks have become an epidemic problem. I really don’t think it has to do with kids needing to eat, it’s more of routine. Scouts, Sunday school, whatever it is, people start planning the schedule and block out a 10 minute time slot for snack.
The problem with the idea of a “healthy snack” as suggested above is that it is too unclear. To me, a healthy snack might be fruit or veggies and water. But someone else might see sugar-free, artificially flavored and colored fruit snacks and consider those healthy. Or gatorade. I can’t assume everyone values the same tenants of health that I do. I do think families should provide their own snacks if their kids need them. And we need to stop this idea that activity=snack. If kids feel gypped not getting a snack, it’s because we’ve trained them to believe they are owed a snack just for showing up somewhere
Gina Rau says
You nailed it…post-sports snacks have become treats, and that’s the very problem I have with them. Helicopter parents with too much time on their hand have taken over kid’s sports and turned it into madness with decorated cupcakes and cookies and fruit boxes, and don’t get me going on the “every kid gets a trophy” topic!
What kids need after a workout is hydration and energy replacement. We bow out of most organized team snacks, er, treats because I don’t want my kids to develop bad habits. I have nothing against treats and we usually have them at some point every weekend. Not after a soccer game.
My son is older so his fields are sometimes 20+ mins away. We always have more water for him, and either fruit or a Cliff, Luna or Lara bar…or something we’ve made that is similar. My daughter is younger and her teams participate in team snacks but we still bring our own. She’s great about asking if it’s an ok-snack.
We’ll be bringing snacks next weekend and will make sure that on our watch the kids get a healthy, tasty snack after the game. They can have their treat later.
Laura says
Thank you for sharing this – I think I agree – what’s the point of snack for the 5 year old soccer games where people live 5 minutes away from the field! These kids end up snacking all day long and then are not hungry for their meal. Good idea on the fruit or no snack – that is what I will suggest when my kids are that age. Wish me luck. I hear that some people bring dunkin donuts. 🙁
Deana says
Amen Sista! Just got out-voted on my “everyone just bring your own snack as you see fit”. Not that cool with my kid chugging gatorades and slamming bags of chips