Computer System Allows Parents To Track What Kids Eat At School
Robert Paul Reyes
February 21, 2006
Children don't count calories, such obsessions are reserved for the adult world, along with worrying about bills, managing relationships, plotting against the boss and paying taxes.
Childhood is a time of munching Doritos, slurping shakes, gulping sodas, licking suckers, chewing gum and gobbling burgers.
When I was a kid school was a sanctuary, away from the prying eyes of my mom, I traded baseball cards for Whoppers, jaw breakers and licorice sticks.
But in these paranoid times when we force our kids to wear bicycle helmets and play Wiffle Ball instead of soft ball or heaven forbid hard ball, parents can now monitor what their youngsters eat at school.
Welcome to 1984 when a mom's snooping eyes have invaded the childhood sanctuary of school. Automated cafeteria systems are now in place in several cities that allow parents to track what their kids eat in school -- and designate items that are off limits.
It also shows the cashier any food allergies for a child's account, and the student is not allowed to buy an offending item.
A child will punch in an identification number on a keypad at the lunch line, and a computer will indicate any restrictions on what the young scholar can consume.
Meddling parents can go online to track their child's eating habits and make changes.
What's next, will school children be issued library cards with a computer chip that keeps track of their reading habits? "Sorry Joey, you can't check out "Tinky Winky Goes Shopping", that book is not on your approved reading list, your mom doesn't want you to grow up humming Broadway show tunes and sweating to the oldies with Richard Simmons"
It's one thing to make sure your car is properly maintained with brake fluid, engine oil and coolant and it's quite another to monitor every calorie that your child consumes.
A child is not a robot or a car, a Tootsie Roll Pop may not be the healthiest thing in the world for your child, but have you even seen a child sucking one with a frown on his face?
Kids may need nutritionally balanced meals, but they thrive on freedom. It won't kill a child to be able to place a tasty fudge brownie on his plate.
Childhood is a time of munching Doritos, slurping shakes, gulping sodas, licking suckers, chewing gum and gobbling burgers.
When I was a kid school was a sanctuary, away from the prying eyes of my mom, I traded baseball cards for Whoppers, jaw breakers and licorice sticks.
But in these paranoid times when we force our kids to wear bicycle helmets and play Wiffle Ball instead of soft ball or heaven forbid hard ball, parents can now monitor what their youngsters eat at school.
Welcome to 1984 when a mom's snooping eyes have invaded the childhood sanctuary of school. Automated cafeteria systems are now in place in several cities that allow parents to track what their kids eat in school -- and designate items that are off limits.
It also shows the cashier any food allergies for a child's account, and the student is not allowed to buy an offending item.
A child will punch in an identification number on a keypad at the lunch line, and a computer will indicate any restrictions on what the young scholar can consume.
Meddling parents can go online to track their child's eating habits and make changes.
What's next, will school children be issued library cards with a computer chip that keeps track of their reading habits? "Sorry Joey, you can't check out "Tinky Winky Goes Shopping", that book is not on your approved reading list, your mom doesn't want you to grow up humming Broadway show tunes and sweating to the oldies with Richard Simmons"
It's one thing to make sure your car is properly maintained with brake fluid, engine oil and coolant and it's quite another to monitor every calorie that your child consumes.
A child is not a robot or a car, a Tootsie Roll Pop may not be the healthiest thing in the world for your child, but have you even seen a child sucking one with a frown on his face?
Kids may need nutritionally balanced meals, but they thrive on freedom. It won't kill a child to be able to place a tasty fudge brownie on his plate.
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