I might find myself on some “She Shouldn’t Be a Parent” list, but I feel compelled to address a pressing issue: the infamous post-competition snack bag. This is a bane for all reasonable parents.
Really, why on Earth does little Emily absolutely need a snack after playing just one hour of soccer? Is she going to starve? Did she expend an outrageous amount of energy picking flowers instead of playing? Do I really need to deal with yet another task of purchasing, preparing, and distributing snacks for kids who aren’t even mine? Or is this just another avenue for me to waste $30?
Every sport my kids engage in seems to have a rotation where each parent is tasked with providing snacks and drinks for the young athletes. I could understand this if they were in a lengthy tournament and missing a proper meal. But we’re talking about a Saturday morning basketball game that lasts a mere 45 minutes—snack required. Or an hour-long soccer match—snack required. Even little Jeremy’s hockey game, which is an hour long—snack required. And how about Rebekah’s t-ball game, over in five innings—snack required. There’s absolutely no reason for these kids to need a snack for an activity that barely takes the time to watch a couple of cartoons. When they’re younger, every kid gets a chance to play, so it’s not like your child is out there the entire time. Even if they were, they don’t need a snack.
Let’s talk about the snack requirements too. They must be “healthy” (because what kid really wants to bite into that apple you brought?), and allergen-free (which I completely respect, so don’t think I’m targeting allergy kids). No child craves a cheese stick after finishing up a game. And your snack bag is open to scrutiny—not just from the parents, but from the kids as well. I’ve seen children turn their noses up at a meticulously prepared healthy snack because it’s “gross.” Honestly, that kid should be redirected to the water fountain.
I can’t help but wonder who initiated this madness. And really, why? Can little Bobby not survive the game without knowing there’s a special bag of supposedly healthy snacks awaiting him, which he will likely toss aside?
And don’t even get me started on the gift bags at major competition events. My daughter does gymnastics, and this year we started including a snack bag for the girls post-meet. To be clear, their meets usually run about four hours long, which means they miss a meal. So, I fully support giving them something to nibble on while they wait for the awards ceremony. You should see how Ellah sweeps the competitions, taking home first place in every event, proving she’s ready for the next level (yes, I’m looking at you, girl who scored a 9.9 on vault).
However, our gym is an exception. I’ve noticed other gyms show up with a mountain of treats for the girls—serious snack overload and even gifts, for a sport that already costs a fortune! The bags are elaborately decorated, as if royalty were competing. The best part? Little Myra (don’t forget the ‘a’ or her mom gets upset) tosses her entire gift bag without so much as a glance at the effort put into it. She grabs her candy and discards everything else as if it were trash. How about a simple “thank you” and saving the bag for later? It’s a little thing called gratitude.
To the parent who spends more than five minutes on the snack bag, please let me know your address because if you have that much spare time, I’d love to send my kids over to your place. I’m sure someone will say, “But I just LOVE doing this for my little Annabelle; she LOVES to see what I put together.” This is probably the same child who will demand granite countertops for her first home when she should be thrilled to settle for laminate (I really need to stop binge-watching home renovation shows).
Are we really going to revert to bygone days? A time when kids had to do chores and figure things out on their own? When the only snack option was whatever was for dinner? Hands up if you ever got a snack bag after your sporting events in the 1980s or earlier. Crickets, right? We all survived just fine. No one starved. No one passed out from hunger. Remember those snack stands at events that raised money for schools? If you won, you got a treat or a compliment. If you lost? Nothing. It’s called life lessons, motivation, and realizing that not everyone gets a prize.
And yes, little Mary did get Hawaiian Punch while I got nothing, and look how “normal” I turned out.
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In summary, the trend of post-game snacks for kids is excessive and unnecessary. Many parents are left feeling the pressure to provide elaborate snack bags for short activities that don’t warrant them. We need to reconsider this practice and allow children to experience the satisfaction of competing and enjoying the simple joys of childhood without the added pressure of snack expectations.