“Food Is Food”: Mom’s Note To Toddler’s Teacher Goes Viral, Sparking Parenting Debate

A mother decided to leave a handwritten note in her daughter’s lunchbox after her child came home complaining about a comment her teacher made at school.

Caroline, who owns Pezzi, a company that sells eating utensils for small children, took to her TikTok account to reveal her three-year-old daughter, Evelyn, had arrived home one afternoon saying her teacher instructed her to eat her lunch in a certain order—beginning with her “good” foods and ending with the “bad” ones.

The “good” foods referred to her sandwich and cucumber, while the food considered “bad” was her cookie.

An angry mom left a handwritten note in her toddler’s lunchbox after her teacher instructed her on how to eat her food

Image credits: rawpixel/freepik

“[At] this moment, I felt a little frustrated by the antiquated instruction from the teacher,” Caroline captioned her TikTok video explaining the situation. 

“Three years old. At three years old, someone has told her that foods are good or bad.

“I am so proud that she sensed something was off – to know that was not right enough to tell me about it.”

Caroline responded by leaving a note on her toddler’s lunchbox for her teacher to see, which read, “Hi! 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, Caroline and Joey.”

Caroline wrote that her three-year-old daughter, Evelyn, was told to begin with her “good” foods (her sandwich and cucumber) and end with the “bad” one (her cookie)

Image credits: pezzi.shop

Her post has been viewed over 55,000 times — with many praising the mother for standing up for her daughter and calling out the teacher over her “controlling” instructions.

“As a teacher, your response is 100 percent right. The narrative of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ food can actually encourage harmful eating habits to develop,” one person wrote.

“That’s way too controlling. No one should tell anyone in what order to eat their food. That’s their meal to enjoy,” somebody else commented.

A third user said: “As a former teacher, my thought was the parents packed their kid’s lunch with the intent they eat it; in whatever order or amount.”

“[At] this moment, I felt a little frustrated by the antiquated instruction from the teacher,” Caroline wrote

Image credits: pezzi.shop

Another user shared her experience: “As long as my daughter is full enough to concentrate, I don’t care what part of her lunch she eats first. It’s usually mostly fruit and deli turkey anyway… but she could start with Oreos for all I care.”

However, others disagreed with Caroline’s approach, writing, “I’m sure the teacher wasn’t trying to be cruel … maybe you could have talked to the teacher instead of a passive-aggressive note on your three-year-old’s lunch.”

The mom of four responded: “I don’t think she was trying to be cruel! I don’t get to see the lunch teacher and didn’t think the note was passive-aggressive.”

Watch the mom’s video below

@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

The businesswoman also mentioned that she has been “armed with better responses, knowledge, and practices” for her children after learning about the “great” information from fellow mothers and experts in the field of childhood and nutrition.

“We talk about it all the time at home… If you only eat carrots or broccoli, your body won’t have [the] 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,” she wrote.

“We need little bits of everything to make sure that we are able to learn and play and grow all day long.”

To pack a healthy lunchbox, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health recommends filling half of your child’s plate (or lunch box) with colorful fruits or vegetables (aim for two to three different types), one-quarter with whole grains, and the remaining quarter with healthy proteins.  

Healthy fats and a small amount of dairy (if desired) round out a tasty meal that will fuel an active, healthy lifestyle, the public health school states.

Caroline’s approach sparked mixed reactions on social media

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