Oreogate: Mom Demands Other Moms Stop Packing Oreos

Remember when you were a kid and the biggest problem at lunchtime was whether somebody would trade you their pudding cup for your bag of chips?

Those were simpler times.

Apparently, kindergarten has entered the negotiation era.

A mom on Instagram is going viral after sharing a group chat involving a bunch of kindergarten moms. And it all started with one very important issue:

Oreos.

A mom named Michelle reportedly asked the other mothers to stop packing Oreos in their kids' lunches because her daughter, Ava, gets upset when she sees other kids eating them.

And no, Ava isn't allergic to Oreos.

She just wants one.

And Mom apparently doesn't want her having one.

So naturally, instead of telling Ava, "Sorry, honey, we're not eating Oreos," Michelle decided the much more reasonable solution was:

Nobody gets Oreos.

It's kindergarten. We're apparently negotiating international treaties over sandwich cookies.

Then Charlotte Entered the Chat

One mom, Charlotte, wasn't exactly interested in participating in the Oreo embargo.

She responded:

"With respect, I'm not changing my daughter's lunch, because your daughter wants an Oreo."

And honestly... fair.

Because imagine being five years old and watching your friend open their lunchbox.

There's an Oreo.

You don't have one.

So you start negotiating.

"Trade you my carrots."

"No."

"My string cheese?"

"No."

"Two crackers?"

"Maybe."

That's how kindergarten economics works.

Apparently, Ava is making trades, too.

Which makes this whole thing even funnier.

Mom is trying to eliminate Oreos from the school, while Ava is apparently running a black-market cookie exchange behind the jungle gym.

Welcome to Oreogate

The Instagram mom who's sharing the story has dubbed the whole thing "Oreogate."

And apparently, the discussion didn't end after one message.

It went on for days.

Days!

Over Oreos!

At some point you have to imagine these mothers sitting there typing:

"Ladies, I don't want to escalate this, but Charlotte's daughter had CHOCOLATE CHIP today."

Meanwhile, the kindergarteners are probably just sitting at lunch going:

"Want an Oreo?"

"Sure."

"Three fruit snacks."

"Deal."

The Real Question

Look, every parent gets to decide what their own kid eats.

If you don't want your child eating Oreos, don't pack Oreos.

But asking an entire kindergarten class to stop eating Oreos because your child gets upset?

That's a tough sell.

Kids are going to see other kids with things they don't have.

Oreos.

Toys.

Shoes.

Fancy backpacks.

Eventually, cars.

At some point, you can't ban everything that makes your kid jealous.

Although if kindergarten has taught us anything, it's that Oreos apparently have the power to bring down an entire school community.

And somewhere in that kindergarten classroom, little Ava is sitting on a fortune in Goldfish crackers, waiting for the next trade.

Long live the Oreo black market.