to think this IS an acceptable lunch for an 8 year old?

[Helenagrace]

I'm helping a friend out today as she has twin 8 year old boys and she's moving house house tomorrow. I've had them since 8.30am and in my text last night I said I'd "drop them back before dinner - about 5.30?"

I've just given them lunch. They were offered: toast (with peanut butter, egg, pate (homemade mackerel) or cheese), oatcakes (with the same options), half a packet of crisps, tomato, cucumber and pepper, fruit and a piece of home-made chocolate and cherry brownie.

Both have had oatcakes with cheese (6 each) plus salad, a hard boiled egg, an orange, crisps and a piece of cake.

My friend rang to see if they were ok and she spoke to one of the boys. Then I get a text from her saying she's coming to pick them up as she "hadn't realised they wouldn't be getting a proper lunch". I sent a text back saying that we were eating our main meal in the evening and I thought they were too and I've just had the reply back "yes but that's not really much of a lunch is it?"

It's a perfectly acceptable lunch in my house. Does anyone want to ring social services and dob me in for starving my children?

[pigsinmud]

Crikey! How rude of her. Sounds fine to me....pretty much what we had for lunch today.

[Janethegirl]

I personally like hot food and consider most cold food as snack material. I would eat three hot meals a day, however would get too fat .....so only tend to eat two hot meals a day. Only eat cold food if no other options available and I'm actually hungry.

[yegodsandlittlefishes]

That's a good enough lunch for children and adults in this house many a day! I might add a quiche or hummous, extra salad and fruit or some fish. Variations on a theme.

[Itsfab]

PMSL at fish fingers being classes as junk food! Hardly the same as the crap that McDonalds sells, is it .

[Bitofadilema]

Also at Jane

[SecretWitch]

HelenaGrace, if you were kind enough to mind my children while I was moving house, I would be most grateful for any food you served them. I would expect my children to accept offered food with grace. Your friend sounds like one of those controlling hysterical mums. I would not agree to keep her children again.

When can you have mine? They love oat cakes and cheese..

[5madthings]

Sounds perfectly fine, mine have had fruit, pate on toast, a cake pop and Easter egg!

As for a fishfinger sandwich being junk/crap food, most fishfinger are cod and have omega etc in them, then breadcrumbs and in a sandwich, with a serving of fruit etc that's fine! And if you were pissed off at me feeding your kids that then you could fuck off if you thought I was looking after them again.

If someone looks after my kids they can feed them whatever tbh, it's one meal hardly likely to ruin them, I look at what my kids eat over the course of a week not just one meal.

[nut3lla]

I've just had my first 'run in' with a pack of smarties (in an Easter egg!) and it wasn't pretty with a 3 year old! In my opinion anyone who would have my 2 children all day deserves a medal! This woman is clearly mad not to appreciate both your time & fine, healthy lunch! Feed them some smarties & send them on their way home to her!

[Perfectlypurple]

Thats a proper lunch. Has she picked them up yet? Don't forget to update

[MrsBungle]

Sounds like a perfect balanced lunch to me. She's an ungrateful cow!

[Bloodyteenagers]

Is she one of those that kids always have a cooked meal for lunch, and then a sandwich for dinner, while her and her partner have a cooked meal later on?

Had a run in previously with this type of parent. Only didn't happen by text, but at the school gate.

[Aeroflotgirl]

Ungrateful mear, it's totally fine lunch, one does not need 2 hot meals a day.

[LoveBeingCantThinkOfAName]

I think they've. I plainest and down played what they had too

[Ifpigscouldfly]

May I come to yours for lunch ?

[Janethegirl]

Note although the lunch the op fed the dcs is not what I would have chosen, if she had been looking after my dcs I would not have complained. I am surprised so many consider hot food as non essential though .

[SpringBreaker]

What is the obsession these days with snacks.. No wonder we have a nation of fussy kids and too many fat kids. Lunch from my mother would have been soup with 2 slices of bread, or beans on toast, or a ham salad roll.. Which is plenty for a midday meal.

[Milmingebag]

She is being a mingebag.

She probably thought they would be getting a full cooked meal so she wouldn't have to bother.

Frankly the tight bitch could have sent over some food or ordered you all in pizza to say thank-you for the childcare.

Are her children fat/greedy or entitled little toads?

[SystemIDUnknown]

Two/three hot meals a day? That must be such a lot of faff.

We have one hot meal a day (unless you count porridge/toast as a 'hot meal'...I don't.

Lunch is always 'bits' - salad sticks, fruit, bread, ryvita or jacobs crackers, yoghurts, and usually boiled eggs, chicken, tuna, tinned sardines/mackeral/mussels. Sometimes a couple of crisps thrown in. Sometimes they have a 'platter' and have their crackers, salad, fruit, eggs, crisps and yoghurt all at the same time, which they love, and ocasionally, will enjoy making concoctions such as cucumber and yoghurt or egg and grapes on ryvita...

[Marcelinewhyareyousomean]

Rude, grateful and dreadful manners.

Sounds like a nice lunch. I serve a variation on a lazy Susan and it goes down a storm.

[squoosh]

'my DCs wouldn't touch fish finger sandwiches and I'd be p'd off if someone offered then junk food like that.'

If someone is kind enough to look after and feed your children I would think you extremely ill mannered if you were pissed off at their receiving fish fingers for their lunch.

[RufusTheReindeer]

We call lunch here "pick and mix" so it used to be lots of little bits

Now it's just a pile of crap...

Fish fingers are not junk food

[BinBagBertha]

She's way out of line. Maybe she's one of those numpties who think the only "proper" food is cooked or hot food. But whatever you gave them, you looked after them all day! To actually SAY "I hadn't realised they wouldn't be getting a proper lunch" is off-the-scale rude!

Plus my DS eats this kind of lunch every day at school, and so do millions of other children, as a packed lunch. As it's healthy, varied and filling, it does count as actual "proper" food! Amazingly.

[MoominsAreScary]

A love fishfinger sandwiches

[Marcelinewhyareyousomean]

UNgrateful

The meal provided sounds fine in terms of calories and balance. I would text her a pic or text a list with a dymtbsr?

[Taffeta]

Wow, that's a "did you mean to be so rude?" moment. We never have hot lunches at home, esp in this weather.

If she's collecting, I'd quickly rustle up a massive plate of baked beans for them to scarf so she has guffing DC for the evening.