Kindergarten teacher begs parents to stop sending kids to school with cupcakes as birthday treats, sparks debate

Children love celebrating their birthdays with their peers at school. That means bringing in treats for all the students in their class to celebrate the splendid occasion. But the real problem comes up when kids make a mess out of eating those birthday treats and the teachers are left to deal with the mess. A kindergarten teacher named Ann Brackemyer, who goes by @kbcrayons on TikTok, decided to make a video and share her thoughts about ideal birthday treats that kids can bring to the school.

Brackemyer begged parents through her video to stop sending their kids with loads of cupcakes for their birthday treats. Her video garnered over 2 million views and sparked some serious debate about what kids should or should not bring to school as treats. "I love to celebrate birthdays in my classroom," Brackemyer started her video, holding a transparent box of colorful cupcakes from a convenience store. "I know this is going to be an unpopular opinion but please don't bring cupcakes. These make a ginormous mess and the kids honestly don't eat them. The frosting gets all over

and the kids aren't sure what to do."

The teacher suggested that instead of sending their kids with cupcakes, the parents could opt for packing some cookies as birthday treats. "The kids love them. They have sprinkles and they eat them. Donuts are also a great one. These are also really small ones which is also great. At Casey's General Store, they have great donuts that you can order and the kids love them," Brackemyer continued. She came up with a fourth option for a treat which was actually better than cupcakes and that was ice cream cups. She claimed that kids love those as well. "So your teacher may have a freezer in their classroom or in the break room. So just ask them, 'Can I bring these ice cream cups?' I'm sure they would love it," she continued.

Brackemyer recommended parents go visit a store called Little Debbie where they sell some amazing snacks like cosmic brownies and they won't be making a mess. "So these are just simple and easy snacks that you can bring for your child in their classroom that are not as messy and also the kids love," Brackemyer concluded. However, parents and teachers in the comments section were divided about her suggestions.

@lovelyivy1908 commented, "As a previous teacher I told parents not to bring cupcakes, etc for birthdays because I bought the cupcakes or cakes. I told parents what time the celebration was and they came to participate. I bought pizza, juice boxes and ice cream to go with it and NEVER had any issues." @ricandiablo mentioned, "Freshly baked cupcakes are much better than little Debbie processed treats. Also, let the kids be messy, it helps with sensory development. Kids shouldn’t worry about certain things while being kids." @meganharris031 remarked, "I want to add for parents to be mindful of allergy kids and check in with the teacher. My daughter has been excluded so many times because we didn't get a heads up and she can't eat any of that."

@unipmtz wrote, "As a teacher, I agree cupcakes are so messy and the kids always pick off the frosting and most of the time leave them half eaten because they’re too sweet. Cookies are the best choice." @turtlemom940 argued, "Ice cream is way messier than cupcakes and I will bring my kids their cupcakes and I've never seen a child not eat their cupcakes when brought in." @katemazzaschi added, "Ya'll she's just offering a different perspective, perhaps one you haven't thought about. Bring what you or your kid wants. At least now you know what it's like when you aren't there to see it."

You can follow Ann Brackemyer (@kbcrayons) on TikTok for more educational videos.