Majority of mums go out of their way to provide a healthy snack for their child’s school lunchbox. If on a stray day, the lunchbox content leans more towards the junk food category, does the mum deserve to be shamed? Well, this mum just got a condescending note from her child’s nursery!
I feel, getting judgemental about another person’s choice is uncalled for. There could be one or many reasons for a person to act in a certain manner. If we can’t be accommodative of their choices, the least we can do is not vocalise our disdain for them.
According to this report, a mum received the following note from her child’s nursery urging her to send healthier alternatives in her child’s lunchbox.
This was in response to a chocolate slice in the child’s lunchbox, which happens to fall in the ‘red food category’. While many parents expressed their disdain at the curt note from the nursery, quite a few parents felt that there was nothing ‘personal’ about the note and it was only for the child's health that the note was sent.
As a mother, I am all for serving healthy food to my child. But there are stray days when all I can manage is a cheese sandwich or store-bought cookies. Mind you, these are rare instances. I’d be appalled if I received a note from my daughter's school on such an occasion, pointing a finger at my parenting choices.
As much as I know my child, if I pack my idea of ‘healthy food’ in her lunchbox, five days a week it’s bound to come back untouched from day three. So how do you convince these little humans to go with what’s in their lunchbox? Here are some tips that have worked for me:
- Mind the portions: Avoid giving one big box full of the same food. Instead, club together options in smaller portions for the child to entertain his tastebuds. A little bit of pita chips and hummus, some fruit slices, a couple of slices of sautéed baby carrots and dips in the lunchbox will make your child feel like there is so much to choose from. And there is only this much of each, which is even better.
- Dip dip dip: Who doesn’t like a good dip to go with their chips/tacos/tossed veggies? Children love it too. Send a different dip every day to make it look like a new meal option. There really are quite a few options for dips like a fruit-and-yoghurt dip, hummus, guacamole, or pine nuts pesto.
- Send a smoothie: Instead of sending a juice pack, whip out a smoothie for your little genius, Add some nuts, fruits and yoghurt together, blend it into a smoothie and pack it as an add-on to your child’s lunchbox.
So what are you waiting for? Go ahead, experiment with your kid's lunchbox and be prepared for a pleasant surprise in the form of a box wiped clean!
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