We spend our childhood wanting to be just like everyone else, then we grow to adulthood and want to be different and unique.
This reality is hitting home as I struggle with my son and his lunches. While we would like to be environmentally (and fiscally) responsible by using a lunchbox with a container that can be used over and over, my son wants nothing more than to have the little snack pack size of fruit and pretzels in his lunch. I struggle against this because it costs more and creates so much waste. I am thinking of buying these items as a treat to appease his need to fit in.
Today, though, his newest lunch demand actually made me laugh (which made him angry at me because I don’t understand that he HAS to be like everyone else). Now he wants me to go to McDonald’s, buy his lunch there, and drop it off at school for him. When I explained that I could not and would not do that, he compromised and said that Qdoba would be okay if I can’t get McDonald’s.
Here is what he actually had in his lunch today:
-a peanut butter, jelly and banana sandwich
-ants on a log–celery sticks, peanut butter and raisins
-and corn chips
The sandwich and corn chips were a hit. While he used to devour ants on a log as a toddler, he didn’t eat any of them today.
Do you struggle with getting your children to eat a healthy lunch? I would love to hear any suggestions you may have.
For more creative lunch ideas, visit What’s For Lunch Wednesday.
Your son’s request for McDonalds might be more of a fitting in thing than actually wanting McDonald’s food. Perhaps if you packed his lunch in a McDonald’s sack now and then (do you have friends or co-workers who eat there that could save their bags?) and pack McDonald’s-looking food (nuggets, hamburg, fries) you could appease him and still have some control over the cost and healthiness of his food.
That’s an idea. I just can’t believe that some parents drive to school and drop off fast food lunches for their kids! I wouldn’t be able to drop it off with his two little sisters, so he would have to eat the nuggets and fries (from home) cold. I don’t know if he would want to do that. (And to think, I thought my lunch struggles would be over when he moved to a school with no hot lunch! :))
That seems to be the new trend. I work with someone whose daughter is in kindergarten and she or her husband have already taken their daughter McDonalds a couple times. They have even taken time off of work to do it! Can you believe it? Their school allows parents to come eat lunch with the kids if they want to.
It is crazy! I have e-mailed his teacher to ask how common this is. According to my son “everyone” does this, which I highly doubt. I think it is a few and he would like to be one of them. Thanks for the info.
Do you give him a choice between things (ie carrots or pickles for a veggie) so he at least has some say? That has greatly helped my son (10.5 yrs old) this school year. He actually throws a FIT when he has to eat school lunch now..
I think your idea is a good one. We should start including him in the choices. I like your idea of letting him choose between two items. If we gave him free reign to choose anything it would be all junk! 🙂
I love ants on a log, and yet I haven’t had them in forever. I wonder why that is, other than a misplaced sense of maturity.
I think giving your son choices, and having him help in the kitchen, will help. Perhaps instead of wanting what “everyone” else has, he’ll be proud of what he made.
I hear you on the wasteful snack packs but I think it’s ok every once in a while. Once or twice a month my son gets a juice bag in his lunch as a treat. The rest of the time he has to make due with his water bottle. The fast food thing though..scary! I have a friend who is a teacher though and she confirmed she’s seen the same thing, parents dropping off Taco Bell or Mc D’s for the kids, sorry that’s a no can do for me.
How cute is that!! My kids would absolutely love this lunch!!
Hi, just recently found your site.
We struggle with lunch, although we are getting better. The biggest thing I’m trying to teach my 8 year old step-daughter is about waste.
She wants everything in a plastic baggie so she can just dump her whole lunch into the trash when she’s done. I send lots of tupperware plastic containers, and I’m trying to train her not to use a plastic baggie for every little thing.
I bought her a small closeable sip bottle for her drink so we can quit buying juice boxes, but I’m afraid to send it because I’m afraid it will leak.
My son’s snack gets packed in a baggie (we should probably use a container), and we like to wash out baggies and resuse them. He likes to blow them up and pop them instead. . .It is a challenge! 🙂
We used to have the lunch time drama also but then I had an idea. If you give them choices they will eat. I am happy to say that it is working well. I have a 13 yr old and yes many of the parents at her school also bring their kids fast food? I was beginning to think I was the only one who thought this concept was crazy. We have a list of things that she is allowed to pack in her lunch. When she uses the item it gets crossed off. I don’t tell her what to pack that is her choice but if she uses up all the snacks in 2 days then the rest of the week she has none. The first few times it was a struggle but she has learned that she needs to spread the food over the 5 days and sometimes she has some leftover for the weekend.
This is a great idea. I wonder if it would work with a 6 year old?