RIGID RULES
12 October 2019
8pm
Being a parent is so complicated these days. There are so many rules and regulations around simply sending them to school. It shouldn’t be this hard.
Kids cannot be dropped at school before eight thirty. Class starts at nine. No wonder before school care is overcrowded. When I was in primary school, we got dropped off at eight, and run amuck in the playground for the following hour. We did not need to have every waking minute of our day supervised by a hovering adult.
Parents get bombarded with at least ten emails a week from the teacher about this or that. There is such a thing as too much communication. The only time my parents had any contact with the teacher, was at parent teacher night twice a year.
I know that in Australia, we live in a harsh environment when it comes to the elements, but this whole ‘No Hat - No Play’ policy is a bit over the top if you ask me. It states, if a child forgets to bring their hat to school, they are kept inside, and are banned from going out to play with their friends.
Considering they are only outside for around twenty minutes at most, is it really that big of a deal? Due to the fear of children sharing their food with others who may have an allergy, they spend the first ten to fifteen minutes inside so the teacher can monitor them while they eat their lunch.
Now, I don’t know about you, but I am pretty sure that if a child was let out to play in the sun without a hat for one day, they will not spontaneously combust in front of the teacher’s eyes. Keep some sunscreen in the classroom, and baste them like a chicken if you are that concerned. Mind you, there would probably be too much paper work to fill out in order to gain consent from the parents, to put the sunscreen on in the first place.
While we are on the subject of lunch, packing a lunchbox is not that simple anymore. Every item of food you include, gets scrutinised by the teacher. You must have so much wholegrains, so much fruit, so much vegetables, so much protein, and heaven forbid you decide to include a little sweet treat. You are then promptly lunchbox shamed.
A letter comes home outlining the offending item, making you feel like a naughty child being put on detention for bad behaviour. At least the food doesn’t get taken away from them, as I would have something to say about that. If less than ten percent of the lunchbox is not so healthy, what is the problem? We have become such a nanny state.
I better go and prepare the boys lunches for tomorrow, ensuring there are plenty of nutritious healthy choices. If I don’t, I might be fined by the fun police.
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