PSA: Don't send you kids to playgroup with chometz

amother

Mintgreen

Sun, Mar 26 2023, 4:44 pm

amother Brunette wrote:

I'm not seeing the big deal, there are so many klp products out there and if not kitniyos or foods that aren't actually chometz work just fine.

Dear fellow playgroup morahs, like I said upthread, parents cannot possibly understand how a playgroup must run, why the details are so important. Never mind, if we walked into their homes we probably wouldn't understand either. Do what you gotta do and try not to think poorly of people.

There may be loads of KLP products, but picky toddlers that need their bread and pasta, won't touch that. I understand how a playgroup must run, but not allowing chometz this week, has nothing to do with running a playgroup. As the morah, you need to do what's best for the children and NOT what's easiest for you. If you gey paid to do something, you cannot put yourself first.
The playgroup is usually in a designated place in the house that's not used for something else. There's no reason why the kids can't have chometz in that room. They're not traipsing around the house with chometz. It's just in that room.

amother

Brunette

Sun, Mar 26 2023, 4:51 pm

amother Mintgreen wrote:

A morah makes decisions based on how she needs things to be in order to function properly. It's not her vs the children.

amother

Mintgreen

Sun, Mar 26 2023, 4:54 pm

amother Brunette wrote:

A morah makes decisions based on how she needs things to be in order to function properly. It's not her vs the children.

No chometz has zero to do with how a playgroup functions. That OP says that she does it because it's easiest for her before pesach. Sorry, that's just not ok.

amother

Brunette

Sun, Mar 26 2023, 5:02 pm

amother Mintgreen wrote:

No chometz has zero to do with how a playgroup functions. That OP says that she does it because it's easiest for her before pesach. Sorry, that's just not ok.

Speaking generally, not about specific people, if a morah has to make a rule it's because she cannot do playgroup successfully without it. Not because she's grabbing the easy road for herself.

amother

Mintgreen

Sun, Mar 26 2023, 5:07 pm

amother Brunette wrote:

Speaking generally, not about specific people, if a morah has to make a rule it's because she cannot do playgroup successfully without it. Not because she's grabbing the easy road for herself.

I disagree. Kids having chometz in a designated space, shouldn't interfere with how a playgroup is run. If a morah does it, it's like that poster mentioned, because it makes it easier for HER. It's not in the kids best interest. It's the easy way out for her.

amother

Mintgreen

Sun, Mar 26 2023, 5:20 pm

amother Brunette wrote:

This is where the attitude clash comes in, when parents distrust the morahs' motives and intentions.

That poster clearly said that she does it because it's easiest for her erev pesach and her house is pesachdik. What other intentions may there be besides for it being easier for morah?
How does no chometz at all in the playgroup room from 12 days before pesach, help the playgroup run better? This isn't about the kids. It's about morah. Pesach is 8 days. Not 3 weeks.

amother

Sun, Mar 26 2023, 7:07 pm

amother Mintgreen wrote:

Just clarifying here:
1-My OP had nothing to do with bringing chametz for lunch. It was for not walking in with a bag of chametz in kid's hand.
2- I let my kids bring chametz for lunch,another morah wrote she doesn't let chametz this week. We're talking about a grand total of 4 lunches!! Your child can have pasta/bread for breakfast and supper. Nothing will happen if they have yogurt/fruits /vegetables and rice cakes!

How are you coming up with those numbers??? 12 days , 3 weeks....
I would love to know of all the ppl finding this unacceptable how many are making the whole pessach, hosting married kids and cooking for a big family. I'm guessing not too many! Banging head

amother

Brown

Mon, Mar 27 2023, 12:37 am

amother Chicory wrote:

I love how the schools and morahs always pull the partner card when they want something from the parents. But that never works in reverse. If you want to pull the partner card, then please pull your weight in the partnership and be opened until Erev YT. That would be a partnership.

But you want the extra days off while your partner is still working up till or thru Erev Yom Tov. You expect your partner to pay for all the days off this month, even though your partner herself won't be getting paid on all her off days. And now you want the partner to put in the extra work instead of you.

That's not a partnership by any definition. That's a self-serving attitude where one is trying to take advantage of the others just because she can. As you've precisely demonstrated above. You're resorting to underhand threats about closing down, just so you can get, or rather force, parents to do your bidding out of fear.

Thanks for the excellent demonstration of what's so wrong in this setup.

I actually don't charge for the days that I don't work. I'm in the UK, I charge way too little as it is, and I try very hard to bend over backwards to accommodate. But when you have toddlers, who are walking pieces of Chometz it's too hard to have them up until pesach!
You can't compare this to other jobs. My playgroup is in my main living room.

amother

Brown

Mon, Mar 27 2023, 9:54 am

I'm in England so we've had playgroup today.
2 kids came in with Chometz in their hands. One had a cookie, I said to the father oh no I have pesach crafts on the table that I'm trying to sort out, he tried taking it away, but I would've been left with a tantrum so I said she can sit at the other end of the table, so he realised that I wasn't happy.

Another one had a closed packet of bissli (not klp) so I said we're going to put this in your bag, bh she didn't bat an eyelash, so that was easy enough.

Makes me mad though. Just trying to keep the pesach crafts away from Chometz!

amother

Mintgreen

Mon, Mar 27 2023, 10:01 am

amother OP wrote:

Amazing! We all agree because nobody suggested that kids should eat KLP now! Very Happy

A different poster that is a Morah said that she doesn't allow any chometz at all this week and if anyone can't do it, they shouldn't send this week.
My response was to that poster.

amother

Magenta

Mon, Mar 27 2023, 10:32 am

I fully understand the Morah who is asking that you stop sending in chometz. There are plenty of products that are KLP to send: cheese, yogurt, fruit, veggies. Just no bread and crackers and the like.
Look, my kids' schools are finished. The Morah is helping you all out and keeping classes going the least you can do is not send in Chametz. You are all busy cleaning, she would like to get some work done as well without worrying about crumbs again.
And those saying she is picking her convenience over the children and that she should do what's best for the children, not herself??? What exactly do you think she is doing to the children? Traumatizing them for her convenience??? She is trying to get a handle on cleaning her house for Pesach. Give the Morah a break! The kids will be just fine. Sheesh.

snooper86

Mon, Mar 27 2023, 10:40 am

amother OP wrote:

Op here!
Yes they can bring chometz for lunch!!! I might ask them not to for Thursday but wouldn't write a PSA on here , I would tell them directly!
It's not nice the whole year but much harder this week!
I had a child come in with a full bag of crackers(half of it was just crumbs) in his hands.
I've been a playgroup for the last 25 years, believe me I know I can make them sit down at the table, I can also put it in their backpack and deal with the tantrums too!
Wouldn't it be just nicer if parents would be considerate and not send a bag of cookies in kids hands?
I also know Morahs are paid and they even get a full 2 and a half days "vacation" before the other working mothers... doesn't mean parents can't be a little more careful this week!
If it doesn't apply to you, feel free to ignore I won't get offended I promise! LOL

P.s: when I ask parents not to bring chametz for lunch, I usually make french fries and ask parents to send yogurt/cheese/apple sauce or cut up vegetables.

Ok this makes much more sense and is understandable. I don’t think anyone anywhere wants that.

Ema of 5

Mon, Mar 27 2023, 11:11 am

amother OP wrote:

I have a kid who lives on bread and pasta. As a toddler he wouldn’t touch yogurt or fruit or rice cakes. Those couple of pesachs were torture for him and for me, until he started eating other foods. I had a heter to give him kitniyos just so he would eat. You’re not talking about a grand total of four lunches, you’re talking about four MORE lunches. It’s not always so simple. And to those suggesting that if you can’t follow Morah’s “simple request” just keep your kid home….how does that work when mom and dad have to work?
I don’t have any kids in playgroup this year, and I don’t have any married kids. I am cooking and hosting the entire pesach though. Am I still allowed to have an opinion? Seriously, why does anyone’s pesach situation matter?

Ema of 5

Mon, Mar 27 2023, 11:15 am

amother Magenta wrote:

My kids all have school through this entire week. Just because YOUR kids are finished doesn’t mean everyone else’s are too.

amother

Emerald

Mon, Mar 27 2023, 1:42 pm

amother Brown wrote:

When I give out the Hagudas I tell the parents they are 100% chumits. I don't try to keep them Kosher for pesach.

amother

Mintgreen

Mon, Mar 27 2023, 1:47 pm

amother Magenta wrote:

None of the schools in my community are finished. My elementary girls are in school till Wednesday, pre school till Monday. The morah can clean and keep her house pesachdik. And she can leave the playgroup room for the last to do. I imagine morah's sell their playgroup room. Adding and extra week on no chometz, is torture, and yes, may be traumatic for many picky eaters that the actual yom tov is hard enough on them. The kids will not be just fine, no way.

amother

Emerald

Mon, Mar 27 2023, 1:50 pm

amother Mintgreen wrote:

My playgroup room is my playroom how am I suppose to sell it?