Should they be allowed to force my daughter drink water?

Question

we have moved and my daughter has had to change schools, she is in her first year. I send my daughter to school with cordial in her drink bottle, as we all drink this. There is no benefit to drinking water over cordial in the physiological sense, as the body still uses the water either way, i understand the sugar could cause tooth decay, but i use diet cordial anyway. The teacher has now told my daughter that if she brings cordial again that she will tip it out and fill it with water, but im annoyed with this, if i drink stright water, i get heartburn and my daughter hates plain water, as she isnt used to it. how should i approach the teacher on this matter

cordial is a concentrate, friut juice that flavours water

i think USA calls it squash

their drink is for lunchtime /outside only. no drinks allowed in the classroom and its not the policy...ive read them, it doesnt affect my other daughter and she's in year 5...it's the teacher

Answer 1

Your teacher is making a big deal out of nothing and embarrassing your child which could have a negative affect on her ability to learn. You are absolutely right that people do not necessarily have to drink plain water to get the benefit. I simply cannot stand plain water and neither can my kids. I would talk to the teacher immediately and if she doesn't back off, I'd be talking to the principal. This is absolutely ridiculous.

Answer 2

You should definitely talk to the teacher. Explain your point of view. Are you sure that the school doesn't have some sort of policy regarding what children are/n't allowed to bring in the lunch box?

I think you'd be better off getting her onto water in the long run, just my opinion. Even diet cordial is not that good for you, it's usually only 5% fruit juices, 95% chemicals or sugar

Answer 3

This may sound absurd, but have you tried warming the cows milk a little? My daughter always had warm breast milk, then when my supply dried up, she always had warm formula. It took me two weeks to figure out why she wouldn't drink regular milk. Finally I warmed it up for about 10 seconds in the microwave and she drank it happily. My other suggestion would be to mix a little sweetened evaporated milk into it to give it a slightly sweeter taste, then slowly ease off the evaporated milk until you don't add any extra. If she hasn't had anything else to drink before bed, I say give her the breastmilk. You don't want her to get sick and what your doctor has advised may work on some children, but each child is different. Yours just might be more stubborn than a lot of others. Good luck!

Answer 4

Talk to the teacher or principal about it, and find out if it's a written rule. It may be for health reasons, for hygiene (so it doesn't spill and make the whole place sticky) or it may simply be that the school only allows water so that all kids get the same and it doesn't make poor kids feel bad. If it causes a medical problem such as heartburn, get a doctor note. Otherwise, assuming that the principal confirms that it's a school rule, you just have to live with it. Many schools ban all kinds of things that are otherwise legal, and it's their building, they make the rules.

Answer 5

Simply explain that the way things run in your own home is that water is flavored. This is the way YOU run your family and therefore should be perfectly fine. Also, explain that it isn't unhealthy for your daughter anyway and that you have her brush her teeth if the teacher brings up the idea of tooth decay. Remember to be calm and polite about it(Teachers can get... Touchy to say the least) but be -very- firm in that the teacher should do no such thing as dump out your daughters cordial. The only real argument the teacher can come up with is that the cordial can be spilled and possibly cause a sticky mess.

Answer 6

I beleive the Amaericans call it cool aid.
Your child, I'm sorry, should be drinking water. Schools have a water only policy and I am with the teacher on this one. No matter what you say you are deluding yourself if you think cordial all the time is good for her. She needs water. Leave the cordial for the occassional treat. Of course she does not like it if all you ever give her sweet drinks (artificial sugar or not). I am wuith the teacher on this one. It is most likely the policy of the school

Answer 7

Well just talk to the teacher about the situation, but you need to respect the teacher's rules. If she doesn't allow any other drink other than water, then just let it be. No need to cause any problems over something this small. All of my teachers throughout school only allowed water in the classroom.

Answer 8

As much as the teacher is probably trying to do what is best for the child, unless you are sending the child to school with alcoholic beverages, the teacher has no right to over rule your authority. The only exception I can think of is if the school has a specific written policy that you have agreed to which restricts what the child may bring to school. You need to discuss this with the teacher first and her supervisors if you don't get any satisfaction.

Answer 9

Talk to her directly. You are her mother and should have a say so in what your child eats/drinks. This being said many schools have policies that restrict food and drinks for kids, though mainly for health reasons.

I've never heard of Cordial, is it a soda? If so, they say that diet soda could be a health hazard (due to the artificial sweetners that they use). It may not be a bad thing for her to get used to drinking water as it is better for her. But as her mother you have the ulitmate say (IMO).

Talk to the teacher directly. If you can't come to an understanding go to the principle. Fight for what you want if you feel very strongly about it.

Answer 10

IF this type of drink is "allowed" then go over her head. She can't tell your daughter she can't drink something as long as the school permits this. However...talk to the teacher only AFTER you find out if the school has issues with this drink. Our son's school only permits water in school, but they can drink it while they work. (he's in 4th grade). I do think that she should drink SOME water though. As for her drinking diet you might want to talk to her Dr. - our Dr. advised us NOT to let our son drink DIET at all.