Mom Writes Note to Teacher To Say That No Foods Are 'Good' Or Bad'

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Some praised a mom on TikTok for how she responded to a teacher's comment, while others called her "passive aggressive." In a video shared on TikTok, the mom showed the note she wrote to her 3-year-old's teacher after the teacher told the 3-year-old to eat her "good" food before her "bad" food. The "bad" food the teacher was referring to was the cookie the child's parents packed for her — and her parents have already told her that she can eat her food in any order she likes.

The mom was "so proud" that her daughter noticed something was wrong with what her teacher said, and later told her parents about it.

The mom explained that she was "a little frustrated by the antiquated instruction from the teacher," but when her daughter told her what happened at school, she said, "Well that’s silly. There are no good foods or bad foods. Food is just food!"

The mom was also shocked that a teacher would comment on foods being "bad" or "good" when speaking to a 3-year-old child.

In a note to the teacher, the mom wrote, "Evelyn has our permission to eat lunch in any order she chooses. None of her foods are 'good' or 'bad' — they are just food! Thanks!"

One person, who works at a day care, commented saying that they will sometimes encourage kids to eat food that "gives them energy to play," but they won't label the food as "good" or bad."

Another TikTok user agreed that labeling food "good" or "bad" can be harmful. "As I teacher, your response is the 100% right," the person wrote. "The narrative of 'good' & 'bad' food can actually encourage harmful eating habits to develop."

@pezzi.shop Here’s the story: My three-year-old came home from school yesterday, telling me that her teacher told her that she had to eat all of her “good” foods before she ate her “bad” foods. She couldn’t have her cookie before eating her sandwich and cucumbers. In this moment, I felt a little frustrated by the antiquated instruction from the teacher, but I responded saying, “Well that’s silly. There are no good foods or bad foods. Food is just food!“ I will say, this was not my internal dialogue growing up, but because of the information that I have from so many great accounts created by moms and experts, in the field of childhood and nutrition, I am armed with better responses, knowledge and practices for my kids. Three years old. At three years old someone has told her that foods are good or bad. I am so proud that she had sensed something was off - to know that was not right enough to tell me about it. We talk about it all the time at home… If you only eat carrots or broccoli your body won’t have protein it needs to grow strong muscles. If you only eat chicken, your body won’t have enough energy to do things like run and play all day long. We need little bits of everything to make sure that we are able to learn and play and grow all day long. So to the accounts that make sure we have the words, knowledge and confidence to write the note and practice it at home, I thank you, thank you, thank you. It has changed our family for the better. What you do and what you share is so important to young families. #kidsnutrition #kidseatincolor #solidstarts #kidfood #babyledweaning toddlers moms babies family @Jennifer Anderson, MSPH RD @Feeding Littles @Kacie Barnes, MCN, RDN @Food Science Babe ♬ It's All Right I Got Ya Baby - Neon Dreams

Some teachers pointed out that if a parent packs food in a child's lunch box, they assume the parent wants the child to eat that food — so they don't think teachers should make comments about the quality of the food.

"It’s terrifying to think of all the things strangers could be teaching your kid that you have no control over," one person wrote.

But some were less impressed by the mom's response.

"I’m sure the teacher wasn’t trying to be cruel," one person pointed out. "Maybe you could have talked to the teacher instead of a passive aggressive note on your 3 year olds lunch?"