We all know THAT mom.
The one that is a pain in the ass, the one that all the other mothers see and just expect a difficult time from. The one that instills some sort of controversy wherever she goes. Or in my case, the one that might make another parent squirm a bit because I might bring up something that makes them question how they have been doing things.
I am reminded of this most recently when I attended a PTA meeting at my daughter’s school. (I am currently working with the school to shift its food policies for the betterment of the community). We were discussing fundraisers, and the ice cream social came up. {insert sarcasm here} I DARED to suggest that we may have other fun options instead of ice cream. (imagine that!) Gasps could be heard around the room before I could finish my thought. (Well, not real gasps…..I probably only imagined them but I could feel the energy shift).
I continued by saying, “We can do an ice cream social, but imagine if we served organic ice cream instead! That would be a step in the right direction!”
I remember back when I taught tennis, there were some moms that I just knew were trouble. They were never happy and there was always something to complain about. I’d see them coming, and try to find a way to duck into a bathroom before they saw me.
Intellectually, I know I am not even close to that mom. However, on an emotional level, I can’t help but wonder, is that how the teachers and other parents at my daughter’s school feel about me? I mean, I’m not someone who is just a difficult person and finds it fun to cause drama. I’m probably the furthest from this I could be. But this is children’s health we are talking about! I genuinely doubt that I am to that level, but nonetheless, I still ask myself this question whenever I’m faced with these situations.
It is so interesting how when I suggest something healthier, the energy in the room immediately shifts to “she doesn’t want my child to have any fun.”
So let me repeat and state for the record.
It’s not about not having fun, it’s not about not having treats. It is about balance, and serving healthier options that will make a HUGE difference in the long run. It’s not about serving tofu and carrot sticks and god forbid gluten free! (scary!) It’s about making little changes, that over time, add up to huge benefit.
There’s an argument that you can control things in your home and then pray you have taught your child the right way, and ultimately you can’t control everything and your child will grow up to make their own choices. But what if those outside influences make my life tougher?
I guess that is what I signed up for when I chose to become a parent, but darn it, we have enough of those things that we face every day already as part of the bigger picture we call life – do we HAVE to have this with food, too?
So in the meantime, whether I am that mom or not, I’m sticking to my guns on this one.
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