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Why do you think the lunch has to be ultra healthy? Kids eat sandwiches and chips sometimes. My grandson doesn't always bring healthy food. Sometimes its left over pizza, left over food from supper the night before, a sandwich, or chicken and rice (his favorite). He eats a variety of foods some very healthy, some not so much.
There is a difference I think between 'ultra-healthy' (which I didn't say) and 'healthy' which I did.
Depending on what is on that pizza, it can be reasonably healthy! I make great (pretty) healthy pizza - but then I am not a greasy cheese and pepperoni fan. Mine often have other types of cheeses (I like feta), lots of vegetables (peppers, onions, tomatoes - fresh, basil, olives, spinach among others), perhaps shrimp or chicken on them. Kids do like their pepperoni usually, I know, and it won't kill them in moderation. For me .. pizza can be a great food - contains all food groups .. what is not to love!
Food from supper - did you actually cook the food yourself? - is probably pretty darned good too. Or do you only eat Doritos and drink soft drinks for dinner every day at your house? I think that very unlikely. Chicken and rice .. why would you not think that is healthy? Sounds good to me.
My main question was really about two things - the Doritos/rings and the soft drinks .. which are fine once in a while too .. and I just wanted to know if that particular picture was really what that person packed for lunches (or if it was a 'stock picture' of 'a' generic lunch). Would be nice to know if that was also 'typical' or just happened to be what was served on one day and was not 'typical'.
For all I know the small container may have been yogurt or (unsweetened) applesauce or hummus (great choice) or it might be something else - I could not tell. My 'personal preference' would be to make sure the yogourt if I sent that was high fat - not low - and didn't have too much sugar and fillers/preservatives but I think yogourt is a great lunch food. The sandwich is probably fine too. At least it didn't look like 'wonder bread' and it probably wasn't filled with marshmallow fluff .. I just couldn't tell what was in it.
I would not suggest that kids have to just eat carrot sticks and edamame and an apple at every meal - that was not my point. Kids would rebel at that I know - and with good reason. I would not eat that way either. A problem though would be a daily diet of mostly heavily processed foods (and I also agree with coschristi about the soy factor) and no balance.
Better too in most cases to have something rather than nothing ... but if I were a kid I think if I was going to eat lunch and that was in front of me, most likely I would start with the bad stuff and see if I still felt desperately hungry when I got to that sandwich.
And there is nothing wrong with a treat or even a bit of junk food from time to time .. I am sorry if I conveyed 'that' impression.
At any rate, it was more a comment than a criticism.
I wish more people would do this....Can pay your tithe to the lunch line at the school and pay off the over-due lunch bills for the kids in trouble. Can also pay a bit extra when school field trips come up so ALL the kids can go.... If school has room, establish a coat, uniform and school supply closet. Encourage business owners with college educated staff to donate time to after-school tutoring.
If we weren't taxed to death, we'd probably be able to do that.
Why aren't you addressing the obvious failure of the system?
Sometimes you have to remind people that they need to perform good deeds. Sometimes by telling someone what you have done, they make a conscious effort to do the same. Admittedly this story reminded me that I need to do a little more than I have for others lately and not get too wrapped up in my own life.
Perhaps in hopes that others would recognize the situation is not limited to just this one boy and perhaps do likewise or help fix it?
But in this age of people insisting there MUST be an ulterior motive if someone lets it be known, then clearly that's a forlorn hope.
You beat me to it.
To act as a model for others should be encouraged. That the mother was proud of her son for acting this way and wanted to share it isn't the worst crime, either.
I'm happy to hear there's still kindness in this world, who wouldn't? But the mom in the story was not satisfied with her good deed alone, she went and posted it on Facebook too, which then went viral.
Whatever happened to being kind to people just because it's what you're supposed to do without actively seeking the accolades from public afterward?
She was just proud of her kid, and proud of herself for helping a child (rightly so) so she posted it. How would she know it would go viral?
If my son came home and told me about a kid that he'd befriended and wanted to give food to, I'd be so proud that maybe I'd want to post it on face book too.
I'm happy to hear there's still kindness in this world, who wouldn't? But the mom in the story was not satisfied with her good deed alone, she went and posted it on Facebook too, which then went viral.
Whatever happened to being kind to people just because it's what you're supposed to do without actively seeking the accolades from public afterward?
I agree 100%. For those who believe in God I think it actually says something to this effect in the Bible.
Her and her son did a very kind, generous thing which she didn't need to publicize. Unfortunately that's how things are these days.
I'm happy to hear there's still kindness in this world, who wouldn't? But the mom in the story was not satisfied with her good deed alone, she went and posted it on Facebook too, which then went viral.
Whatever happened to being kind to people just because it's what you're supposed to do without actively seeking the accolades from public afterward?
I LOVE the "kids these days" too; see much more positive than negative!
OTOH; have you seen the new "First Lady Inspired" lunches? They are deplorable.
There is a way to fix healthy food that does not contribute to childhood obesity; the school districts are not doing it. If a kid has money to spend on the "extra's" or bring lunch from home they do it. Nobody eats the school lunch anymore.
The tragedy is that school districts are participating in reduced /free breakfast & lunch & it's all going in the trash.
Our school district has removed all ovens & stoves from the school cafeterias; replaced with massive microwaves. All food is delivered to the schools pre-cooked. There are very few servings of meat provided. What meat there is will typically be the same grey color. Pasta is dry, hard & undercooked. Sauce is slime/water/drippy. Lettuce is brown.
They have tried introducing whole-grain which is great but they don't know how to cook it. I have seen items that bounce. Literally.
It's so soy-laden I'm surprised kids don't have gynecomastia by the 2nd grade. The milk looks like water.
Agree with you about "kids these days"
But much of what you attributed to the First Lady was occurring WAY before Obama. My kids school lunches--yes some of them choose to buy school lunch--look a lot like mine did in the 80s.
It's nuts how the Obamas get dragged into every.single.thread
The cynic in me wonders why folks can't just be happy to read a positive story once in a while instead of the garbage the media typically sells us. That's a lot of what is wrong with society today.... no one can just take a heart warming story at face value and instead always look for ulterior motives.
Agree with this absolutely. So many posters are just plain mean, imo.
To the poster who sniped about the unhealthy lunches, although I do agree that the lunches could be healthier, that lunch is certainly better than none at all. So many parents seem to be so intent on "one-upping" and judging others. Yes, this has been going on for decades -- and probably centuries -- but it still irks me. Unless someone else's child is being harmed or harming others, I think people should just mind their own business. (Btw, Aery, the previous three sentences were directed to parents in general and not specifically to you!)
And to the poster who questioned the mother's motives, there is nothing wrong with being proud of your kids -- and if her son were mine, I would be very proud, too.
From what I understand, she posted it on her own social media profiles because she was proud of her son -- not herself -- for being so thoughtful, giving and caring. There's nothing wrong with that. She probably didn't know that it would go viral.
As for the comments about what she's packing for these kids for lunch...well, I don't think that's relevant, is it?
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