does anyone else have concerns about the limited amount of time their children are allowed to eat lunch?

my son is so use to having to gobble down his food so quick. i continually need to remind him he needs to slow down, and chew properly. i know schools are pressed for time, but this is teaching the children very unhealthy eating habbits.

Parent Answers to "does anyone else have concerns about the limited amount of time their children are allowed to eat lunch? "

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Goldberg, our school has recess before lunch, which allows them to settled down for class easier than if they came in directly from recess. Ask your principal to consider changing the schedule to work that way. Kids eat better after they've had recess than if recess comes second, because there's no great incentive to get out of the lunchroom quickly.

Anonymous, MSMomm has a good point -- kids who wait in line for lunch have far less time to eat. Make sure your child brings his own lunch, which will maximize his eating time. "Gobbling down his food" is not going to kill him. It's not attractive, but he isn't going to get sick from eating that way. Kids tend to eat that way when there is something better (recess) waiting once he's done. He could get 20 minutes to eat and he'd probably still gobble. That's how kids are. Teach him the table manners at home, but know that he probably isn't going to follow those rules at school.

You might also request that there be a snack time during your child's day. My son's class has a snack around mid-morning when they're doing something quiet and the teacher is talking. It keeps them going until lunch time (and helps the kids who bolt in the morning without a decent breakfast).

Cinderbell, talk to the principal regarding using lunchtime as punishment time. It is not acceptable, and it doesn't take a raving parent to make a change, but it does take a parent who is willing to speak up. I have told teachers that they can punish my child in one way but not another. You could tell the teacher and principal they may not take away from your child's lunch time but could take away a maximum of five minutes of recess -- for one recess a day.

The short lunch and recess times exist because schools are so focused on their accountability. So, kids get short lunch and recess breaks to allow more classroom time. I agree, it's not right that kids do not get enough time to eat and exercise. It's even harder on the kids who have to stand in line to get their food from the cafeteria. Some kids miss out entirely, which is just not healthy.

This year, I'll be making my son's lunch and giving him enough snacks for both recess and lunch, so he won't have to stand in the long lines.

Cinderbell:
I completely agree with you. It's horrible the teacher decided to use lunch time as punishment time. I hope you complained about it.

Here, in the early elementary grades, teachers used "eating" time punishment time. Instead of allowing the students to eat their lunch, this time was used for having the entire class sit with their heads on their desk, lights out. They should have used recess time for this instead but chose not to. Not every teacher did this but my daughters' did.....

This practice is disgusting as by the time these students hit the lunchroom, they had about 5 minutes to eat and those who had hot lunch received no time by the time they got their cold food and sat down, it was time for them to leave. There was one time when my daughter was in Kindergarden and went on a field trip, they were "Too far behind" schedule to eat lunch.

Sickening, IMO.

our kids in pa have 20 to 25 minutes to eat but if they are not done they have a little extra time in wich im sure in your childs case he needs to slow down a little bit and enjoy his food but contact his teacher and see how much time they have for lunch and what would happen if he wasnt done in the allowed time ?

I have concerns!!! My son is very small for his age, and he isn't a big eater to begin with. Not only is lunch short (15 minutes or so), but they can leave for recess as soon as they are done. What skinny boy is going to eat his carrots when he could be running around playing soccer? Recess is only a few minutes, too, so I understand why he's anxious to get every second of it. It seems to me like "health" has become a subject to study instead of a collection of choices to make.

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