🍪 ‘Oreogate’ Started With A Kindergarten Lunchbox And Became A Huge Parenting Debate

Have you heard about this?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
A single screenshot of a WhatsApp parents group, a mother's group,
for five-year-olds has garnered 10 million views and has set
America into a frenzy. WhatsApp groups?

Speaker 2 (00:14):
WhatsApp groups, particularly mum's WhatsApp groups. I couldn't think of
anything worse. We've got, what have we got in our lives?
We've got our work one here.

Speaker 1 (00:21):
So I'm in five possibly WhatsApp groups ranging from our
friends group to other friends group, to the consortium of
people that I bought this crazy fishing boat with.

Speaker 2 (00:31):
But they're all by choice.

Speaker 1 (00:32):
The school ones are different because often that's the only way,
and it wasn't in my day either as a parent,
the only way parents today get access because the school
uses that to filter information through. But then there may
be 10 people, 20 people involved. Your phone would constantly
be binging.

Speaker 2 (00:48):
But you don't have to. Do you have to do that?

Speaker 1 (00:50):
Well, I don't.

Speaker 2 (00:51):
I think you probably do.

Speaker 1 (00:52):
That might be the only way you'll hear that there's
a mufti day or whatever, that kind of thing.

Speaker 2 (00:57):
But let me tell you about this particular one. So
this single thing.

Speaker 1 (01:00):
Is all about Oreos, and you may have heard of
Oreo Gate. It has gone ballistic. So there are five
or six in this group for five-year-olds, and it starts
with a woman called Michelle saying, Hi, everyone. Sorry, slightly
awkward one, but could we maybe agree on some basic
rules around lunchboxes? One of the other mums says, of course,
is this about allergies? No, not allergy related. Ava came

(01:23):
home really.

Speaker 2 (01:24):
Upset yesterday because one of the girls had Oreos.

Speaker 1 (01:26):
In her lunch. Oh, why was she upset? Well, we
don't allow that kind of thing at home. She obviously
wanted them when she saw someone else eating them. I
was wondering if we could agree not to send things
like Oreos, chocolate candy, so the kids aren't comparing lunches.

Speaker 2 (01:40):
What world is she in? And the other parents said, Sorry,
back off.

Speaker 1 (01:45):
Yeah. And so she then went to the teacher. She
approached the school and requested that the parents be given
an approved snack list. The parents said, really? We encourage
healthy snacks, but this is up to the parents.

Speaker 2 (01:59):
And the world, North America in particular, has gone crazy.
I've seen.

Speaker 1 (02:03):
T-shirts with pictures of Oreos saying, justice for Ava. And
all these memes of mothers buying all the Oreos off
the shelves saying, I'm doing it for Ava.

Speaker 2 (02:12):
I'm going to flood Ava with Oreos. So Ava's not intolerant.
She's just not allowed to have them. Not allowed to
have them.

Speaker 1 (02:18):
You know how people have taken conversations and turning them
into gospel songs? Yeah.

Speaker 2 (02:22):
That's happened here.

Speaker 1 (02:24):
Sorry, slightly awkward one, but could we maybe agree on
some basic rules around lunch boxes? Of course! Is this
about allergies? No, nothing allergy related. Ava came home really
upset yesterday because one of the girls had Oreos in
her lunch. Oh, why was she upset? We don't allow that.

Speaker 2 (02:41):
Kind of thing at home, so obviously she wanted.

Speaker 1 (02:44):
Them when she saw someone else eating them. Oh, okay.
I thought there had been an allergy.

Speaker 2 (02:48):
Issue or something?

Speaker 1 (02:49):
No!

Speaker 2 (02:50):
Isn't it great? And then there's part two.

Speaker 1 (02:58):
To bring this up again, but Ava came.

Speaker 2 (03:00):
Home upset again today. Please don't say Oreos. Yes, actually,
someone sent them again.

Speaker 1 (03:05):
That would be me. Right. So after our conversation yesterday,
they were already in her lunchbox, Michelle. I'm sorry, but
this is getting ridiculous.

Speaker 2 (03:14):
I don't think my daughter coming home.

Speaker 1 (03:16):
For two days in a row is ridiculous. But Michelle,
nobody's giving them to Ava. They're just eating their own lunch,
which is why I've emailed the teacher about Oreos. I
suggested they send parents an approved snack list.

Speaker 2 (03:32):
You emailed the teacher.

Speaker 1 (03:34):
Because Charlotte's daughter had Oreos.

Speaker 2 (03:37):
I emailed because.

Speaker 1 (03:38):
Clearly we're not going to agree between ourselves.

Speaker 2 (03:40):
There is nothing to agree on. She's my child.

Speaker 1 (03:43):
I'll pack her lunch.

Speaker 2 (03:44):
And that's fine.

Speaker 1 (03:45):
But if the school agrees to the list, then obviously
everyone will need her.

Speaker 2 (03:48):
It's so catchy. I love it. It's so catchy. How
does it finish?

Speaker 1 (03:52):
Well, it finished with... It finished with all of them
packing extra Oreos for their own kids to give Ava.
And then Michelle went ballistic, et cetera, et cetera. It's
so fascinating. And other people posting pictures themselves saying, dinner
can wait. I need to find out whether Ava had
an Oreo today.

Speaker 2 (04:10):
You know, Oreo should get in on this. Well, already
people are going, well, this is a conspiracy. Ava doesn't exist.
Save that for Tin Hat Tuesday. That's quite right.