A Child And Her Mother In Need

A Recipe For Developing Food Allergy.
Wet wipes could lead to babies developing potentially fatal food allergies, scientists have warned.
Soap left on the skin is linked to the conditions, now affecting one in 20 children, the study showed.
Allergies to foods such as peanuts can cause fatal anaphylactic shocks.
Lead researcher Professor Joan Cook-Mills of the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, U.S. advised: “Limit use of infant wipes that leave soap on the skin. Rinse soap off with water like we used to do years ago. Adults should also wash hands before touching infants. Genetics, dust and food are also connected to the allergies. This is a recipe for developing food allergy. It’s a major advance in our understanding of how food allergy starts early in life.” 
( Martin Bagot, 07.04.2018 )

A Child And Her Mother In Need.
As we handed out the fruit today
Lily politely requested a pear.
She put it in her pocket
Whilst the others ate right there.
Later, Finn shared out his birthday cake
Brought in by mum, with some sweets.
Lily wrapped hers in a napkin
Watching her classmates
Her packet of sweets was not opened
They went in her pocket as well.
She had eaten her school meal at lunchtime
But was hungry, it was easy to tell.
“I know we’re in class,” I whispered
“But today is a special treat.
We’re celebrating Finn’s birthday
It’s perfectly OK to eat.”
“Can I take it home to my mum please?”
Lily answered, polite but sad
“We don’t have cake at our house
We haven’t had much since dad.
It will be a bit tricky for mum next week
When I’m on holiday
She can’t go to work when I’m at home
We’ll have lots of fun and we play
But it’s a long time without school stuff
My lunches will be really small
And I want to take the cake home
Because mummy eats nothing at all.”
Lily continued to talk
A world of pain pouring out
A child and her mother in need
But who both tried their best, there’s no doubt.
“We used to have food when dad was here
But dad was not very kind
It’s better that mummy is safe now
So it’s ok, I don’t really mind
I’d rather be safe (me and mummy)
Than have lots of cake, fruit and sweets
But I put this stuff in my pocket
So mummy could have something to eat”.
School had lots of fruit left at Half-term
And my cupboard was bursting with snacks.
The staffroom had biscuits, bread, butter and milk
So together we started to pack.
Lily still had fruit in her pocket
But ate up her cake and her sweets
Because we made sure that this Half term
Mummy and Lily could eat.
Now I know there are people who judge
Lily’s mum (from their ivory tower)
Ignoring the struggle she goes through
Misusing their money and power.
“Why would you even have children?”
Is just one thing they blindly accuse.
I ask, “Why would you even become an MP
If to serve your public is not what you choose?”
( Childrenshouldbefed @MissSBMP, 22.10.2020 )

MPs Vote Against Feeding Kids During School Holidays.
A Conservative MP quit her government job after voting for a Labour motion to offer free school meals during holidays until Easter 2021.
On Wednesday evening, October 21, MPs rejected the Labour motion by 322 votes to 261.
Five Conservative MPs rebelled against their party by voting with Labour – including Ms Ansell who has now stepped down as parliamentary private secretary at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
Ms Ansell said: “In these unprecedented times I am very concerned to be doing all we can to help lower income families and their children who are really struggling due to the impact of the virus.”
The government’s stance has also been criticised by Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage, who tweeted: “If the government can subsidise Eat Out to Help Out, not being seen to give poor kids lunch in the school holidays looks mean and is wrong.”
In England, about 1.3 million children claimed for free school meals in 2019 – about 15% of state-educated pupils.
Analysis by the Food Foundation estimates a further 900,000 children in England may have sought free school meals since the start of the pandemic.
In Scotland, the government has made £10million available to local councils to continue to fund free school meals over the Christmas, February and Easter breaks.
Local authorities that offered provision over the October school break can apply to be reimbursed.
The Welsh government has also pledged to extend free school meal provision to every school holiday until Easter 2021, spending £11million on doing so.
In England and Northern Ireland, however, the scheme will only run during term time.
( BBC News, 22.10.2020 )

Intent On Being Seen To Be Good Parents.
Children these days are rude, spoilt, obnoxious, and loud.
I gave a teenage boy £100 for Christmas, and didn’t even receive a card, let alone a thank you letter.
This young lad will grow up into the type of man we are all too familiar with.
Someone who never sends Christmas or birthday cards, leaving this task to his wife, who forges his name.
It nurtures an attitude that men are above such things.
The real enemies of female empowerment are mums who refuse to instil values into their children.
They are so intent on being seen to be good parents they over-invest in their offspring, which turns them into ungrateful, selfish, over-confident nightmares who will never possess a backbone.
( Liz Jones, 25.01.2015 )

Teachers Asked To Exaggerate Predicted Exam Results.
One of the UK’s most prestigious private schools has a policy of asking teachers to exaggerate predicted exam results for some of its lowest-performing students on university applications to help them secure offers.
Sevenoaks school, which charges more than £38,000 a year for boarding pupils, prides itself on its students’ “tremendous record of achievement” in winning university places.
Guidelines set out in the minutes of internal meetings and the 2019-20 teachers’ handbook reveal that for about 20 lower-performing students who may be in danger of missing out on their preferred degree course, staff are asked to increase their predicted grades on their Ucas applications.
( Archie Bland, 24.06.2020 )  Source:  theguardian.com