At the school gates, parents can often mingle and catch up on the school gossip.
But one aspect of the school-pick-up specifically caught a mum's attention.
While waiting for her son, she noticed other families offering their kids picnics and packed lunches as the last bell of the day rings.
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Taking to parenting forum Mumsnet, she questioned what was the right amount of 'after school snack' to give children before dinner.
She admitted she only gave her son one item, ranging from a piece of fruit to a small bar or chocolate - but he often got envious over what his friends were given as they tucked into a picnic.
Remaining anonymous, the mum asked if she was being unreasonable to question the amount of snacks and asked fellow Mumsnet users if a 'steady steam' of food for children was normal.
In a post titled 'After school snacks for the journey home', the mum wrote: "We live a mile and a quarter from school. It's a big step hill for a quarter of that. Sometimes we head straight up the steep bit if in a hurry or we meander through the woods and along the river or canal if it's really warm and/or we have time.
"Sometimes we get the bus. DS [dear son] always asks what snack I've brought with me. It could be an apple, a KitKat or similar, packet of crisps, oatcakes, satsuma, banana, whatever is to hand as I rush off to pick him up. I take one item because he'll be having his dinner about 5pm. He's seven if that's relevant."
She then went on to compare what she brings to what others do: "Some of the other parents seem to take a picnic. I'm not kidding-a whole bag of food-a sandwich or breadsticks, crisps, oat biscuits, pots of fruit, chocolate biscuits and a drink.
"DS has snack envy especially if I've had the nerve to bring him an apple. In the summer/if it's ever warm/hot, I always take an ice cold drink as that walk home can take an hour if we take the scenic route.
"Other parents always offer DS something from their picnic as they seem to feel sorry for him stood at the bus stop with them STARVING. It's only if we get the bus that we witness these picnic bags. The bus journey takes 10 minutes.
"What snacks do you take for your primary age DC [dear children]? Do you offer them a steady stream of food and drink if they don't ask for anything?"
Reflecting on her own childhood, she added: "No one seemed to have any snacks after primary school when I was there. Maybe something small when I got home but generally no."
The post gained around 100 comments, with one noting: "My daughter doesn't get a snack or anything until she gets home, she then has dinner at six"
"We had quite a long walk or bike ride home when in primary and took something like a peanut butter sandwich or oatcakes", another added.
But one slammed the parents for giving kids snacks: "No snacks. It's perfectly normal and healthy for children to feel hunger before their evening meal. Snack culture is driving obesity in this country."
To which someone else replied: "This is overly simplistic. Ultimately overall calories vs. exercise, plus the nutritional content of a diet, is what drives obesity."
Meanwhile one hit back at the mum: "Who made you the snack police?!"
Other's rallied round the parents who brought extra food, with some arguing she shouldn't judge as she doesn't know their circumstances.
One said: "My children were so, so hangry after school that it would have been borderline abusive not to feed them a large snack! They then ate their dinner at five. They’re all very slim and fit, for what it’s worth."
One interjected: "The kids having big picnics might not be going straight home, they might be going straight on to to swimming/ballet/guitar etc."
Another hit back at the mum: "Even in the 90's I remember always being hungry after school and having a bowl of cereal when we got home.
"You bring a small snack and make your kid an early dinner, some people do more food right after school and possibly eat as a family at 6:30pm or later when the other partner comes home from work."
She added: "You aren’t better because you only bring an apple."
One noted what they used to take: "I always took a fun size bag of sweets or chocolate bar & a sugar free drink for when DS came out of school."
