I wish I had time to create a lunch like this—and look like this too.
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I have a confession to make: One of the main reasons I chose my son’s preschool is because they provide breakfast, lunch and snacks. I know my limits, and I’m simply abysmal at packing a creative lunch for my kid.
Back when he was in daycare, I fell into a pattern: I knew he liked meatballs, so I packed chicken meatballs. I knew he liked cucumbers, so I packed cucumber slices. I knew he liked blueberries, so I packed blueberries. It was a healthy lunch, yes, but I packed it every day.
When I tried to deviate from the menu, my son would send the sandwiches and rice pilaf back home uneaten. So meatballs, cucumbers and blueberries continued—for months. Of course, it didn’t hurt that it only took five minutes tops to pack his go-to meal.
Sure, I could have combed through Pinterest for cute Bento box ideas or cut the crusts off his sandwiches and peeled his apples, but who has time for that? I'm also well aware it’s a trap: Once you’ve set a precedent with your kids, there’s no going back. You’ll be cutting those crusts for 18 years. No, thank you.
I’m a full-time working mom, so I have to make trade-offs. Simply put, I’d rather spend my limited time with my kid playing games and reading books than cooking elaborate meals. I’d rather spend my limited time in the evening reconnecting with my husband, rather than meal-planning elaborate lunches.
I also know, for some moms, home-cooked meals are an important way to express their love. And why shouldn’t it be? There is something very elemental about creating, with your hands, the very food that nourishes your children. And there’s no doubt that kids love getting lunch boxes packed with thoughtful notes and their favorite foods.
The point? Both Lunchables moms and Bento box moms are good moms. What’s in your kid’s lunch box bears absolutely no relation to your love for them.
Take, for example, this powerful Facebook post by Nikki Pennington, who calls herself a “Lunchables mom.” In the post, Nikki explains that when she was growing up, her single mom couldn’t even afford Lunchables.
“She was the mom that put me on the free lunch list at school because that’s the only way I could get lunch,” she explains. “She was a really good mom regardless as to whether my lunch was cookie cutter sandwich or a cheese spread with freshly squeezed drinks or perfect vegetables cut up from our garden. She was a really good mom regardless if she would have sent lunchables or wasn’t able to afford them at all.”
Nikki ends her post praising all the different types of good moms out there and the various ways they're doing lunch. "Here’s to the moms that wake up extra early to write a note in the lunches with the organic snacks. Here’s to the Lunchables moms that wake up in just enough time to pick one out of the fridge and toss in with the juice box. Here’s to the moms doing the best they can that can’t afford any lunches for their babies but are thankful they will get fed at school.”
Here, here, Nikki. Here’s to all the good moms—even, I hope, the ones who pack the same lunch for months.