Cupcake devastation

I knew this day was coming. Still, I'm devastated. I just wasn't prepared for the day when I would no longer be able to bake cupcakes for my kids' class parties. My oldest son is a high school senior, so I've been baking cupcakes for classes since his preschool days - about 15 years total.

My cupcakes are definitely not professional looking. They're homemade looking. They always have some special touch to them - sprinkles or candies or decorative edibles on top. Sometimes I'd bake them in ice cream cones rather than paper cupcake liners. The kids always loved that. They'd often ask for two. And it always made me smile when they did. It feels good to spread happiness through food. I can't explain the disappointment I feel that I can no longer continue my cupcake baking tradition. My youngest is only in first grade. He's just starting. I should have a good five years left of cupcake baking, yet the privilege has been pulled out from under me.

There is a good reason for the change. The school has a couple kids with food allergies. So, rather than take a risk that they'll eat something they shouldn't, they've adopted a policy that the only treats that can come to school are ones that are store bought and have clearly marked ingredient labels. Even bakery goods aren't allowed because there isn't a list of ingredients that comes with it. I understand the reason behind it, but it still kinda sucks. I certainly wouldn't want to endanger the health of any young kids and I don't really know who they are or the extend of their allergies. It's just a bummer for the other 470 kids or so that don't have food allergies.

Luckily I still have a house full of kids to bake for and I bake once in a while for Meals on Wheels, so my cupcake baking is far from over. I'll just have to scale it back a bit. It's possible I'll go through withdrawal and you'll find me out on a corner trying to hand out cupcakes to random strangers. Cupcakes anyone?