My kid's school has a 'no homemade treats' rule for birthdays and it's ridiculous.
By @codyactually · School
The school says it's for allergy and safety reasons, but it feels like it just penalizes families who can't afford to buy expensive store-bought cupcakes for a whole class. I used to love baking for my kids' birthdays.
The full story
The email came out this week as part of the back-to-school announcements. Everything has to be store-bought and sealed. I get the allergy concern (my own kid has a nut allergy, so I'm super careful), but this feels like an overcorrection. Part of the fun of classroom birthdays was seeing the different things parents would make. Now it's just going to be a parade of identical grocery store cookies, and it puts a financial strain on parents who now have to budget for 25 pre-packaged, approved snacks instead of just baking a batch of brownies for a few dollars. It just feels like another way the fun is being regulated out of childhood.
How people voted
- Bad Move — 31% (29 votes)
- Needs Context — 38% (35 votes)
- Reasonable — 31% (29 votes)
Readers are split: “Needs Context” leads with 38% — 93 votes and 5 comments so far.
What people are saying
@kindofmaybe — I get why you're upset, it does feel like things are getting less personal and more expensive for parents every year.
@shoulda — soft.
@hanky — this is a classic scarcity mindset response to a reasonable safety protocol.
@fayehm — wow i feel so much safer now.
@jakobok — my sister in law is a teacher and she says it's because one parent sent in brownies made with their kid's leftover halloween candy. like, half-eaten snickers bars and all.
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