There’s one word on every parent’s lips this week: Oreogate.
What simply started as a sweet treat in a kindergartener’s lunch box has triggered a heated worldwide parenting debate.
And the internet is devouring every last crumb.
It all began when a mum, Michelle, asked other parents to stop sending their children to school with Oreo biscuits and other lollies because her daughter, Ava, was not allowed to eat them.
It didn’t take long for the group chat to take a turn for the worse, with @AshlieghJamz documenting the entire drama in a viral 12-part series on Instagram.
Mum demands ‘basic rules around lunch boxes’
Michelle kicked off the heated debate by asking the other five mums in the chat to come up with some “basic rules around lunch boxes”.
They initially agreed, fearing there was a possible allergy issue; however, the discussion quickly descended into chaos.
“No nothing allergy related! Ava came home really upset yesterday because one of the girls had Oreos in her lunch,” Michelle responded, adding that she doesn’t allow such snacks in her home.
“I just wondered if we could agree not to send things like Oreos, chocolate candy, etc. so the kids aren’t comparing lunches?” the mum continued, seemingly annoying the other parents.
“I don’t really think we can control what everyone else packs though?” a woman named Casey retorted.
“With respect, I am not changing my daughter’s lunch because your daughter wants an Oreo,” mum Charlotte vowed.
Parents purposefully pack Oreos in protest
The saga continued when Michelle contacted the school asking for an approved list of snacks. In response to the request, administrators said while they “encourage families to choose healthy options”, the contents of a lunch box are “ultimately at the discretion of parents”.
After Ava got her hands on one of the chocolate biscuits, Michelle reportedly inspected some of the children’s meals before school.
This prompted the other mums to purposefully pack not one, but two Oreos – with some even splurging on the double-stuffed variety.
Oreogate triggers worldwide debate
The saga has attracted millions of views and has since erupted into a worldwide debate about food restrictions and parenting boundaries.
While some people have argued that all parents should encourage healthy lunches for their children, many others have deemed Michelle’s “entitlement” as “astounding”.
“I remember being envious of other kids’ lunches as a child. That’s why kids start trading. It’s ridiculous that parents would police other kids’ lunches. This has gone too far!” one woman commented online.
“Don’t back down! Send the Oreos … the bubblegum, gumdrops … hell, send the whole chocolate factory!” another chimed in.
“I’ll send what I darn well want. It’s a life lesson for kids: you can’t always get what you want,” a third said.
However, not everyone agreed.
“Any mum who packs Oreos needs an education on what she is feeding her child. I wouldn’t touch an Oreo with a ten-foot pole,” one woman argued.
Aussie expert says mum’s request is ‘unreasonable’
So is Michelle’s request reasonable? According to Donna Moala, the founder of Parenting Collective, the short answer is no.
“If there’s an allergy or a genuine safety issue, that is different and worth a private conversation with the school,” she told news.com.au.
“But if it’s a preference rather than a safety concern, no, it’s not reasonable to ask another family to parent by your rules.”
“Honestly, I don’t think this is an Oreos question at all,” Ms Moala continued.
“The real story here is about the pressure young families are under, and how differently we all cope with it.
“Every parent gets to decide what comes into their own home and lunch box; that’s ours to control. But asking another family to change what they pack is tricky because that’s not our call to make, and it’s not sustainable to try and manage other people’s choices.”
Ms Moala said the entire situation could have been a “beautiful teachable moment”.
“When a child says, ‘Why does she get Oreos and I don’t?’ that’s a gift opportunity, a chance to say, ‘We don’t have those in our home, and it’s totally okay to feel annoyed about that, and it’s also totally okay that other families do things differently’,” she said.