Extravagant Pack Lunches

[Diadrie]

I am a TA in a primary school in the middle of a town, real mixed background from families who are mortgage free making well into 6 figures and families living in council homes, earning minimum wage.

As part of my job I supervise the infants half at lunchtime and I have seen the more absurd pack lunches recently from one child. It’s a bento box format, very normal fruit and veg, then greek yogurt and compote, a dip (guacamole/tzatziki/hummus). The main is really star of the show though with: salmon and cream cheese bagel, steak and onion focaccia sandwich, quiche Lorraine etc.

I’m now sat thinking what a totally over the top pack lunches recently for a 5 year old, admittedly the child does finish it, but salmon and steak in children’s pack lunches??

AIBU thinking this is totally over the top, extravagant and slightly absurd.

Seems like a daft thing to get pissy about. Are you worried the parents are taking too much care over the lunchbox? Aren't you only supposed to be alert to the opposite happening?

It's certainly more effort than I ever went to but I can't find it in me to judge a parent who's providing a nutritious meal for their kid

My kids regularly had smoked salmon sandwiches at primary school. Don't see the issue.

My 2 yo would eat any of that. We're not at lunch box stage yet but I often batch cook (lone parent wft so have to prep to ensure we eat well) and I would make a quiche as lunch for both of us. I make my own Foccacia which isn't too expensive either and would use that for filling sandwiches.

It's important to me that I keep ds regularly exposed to lots of different types of food so he gets a really varied diet and hopefully we avoid him becoming a picky eater (although obviously there are good reasons why some kids do). To me it makes more sense to utilise everything in the fridge in this way so we've less waste than buying more sandwich crap while the good food goes to waste?

My same age child loves salmon and cream cheese bagels and wouldn’t eat a basic cheese sandwich, so that’s what he gets. He’s quite limited in what he will eat so I just go with what he likes as it’s healthy and nutritious. What’s the issue?

Good for them! The amount of shite children in the UK eat, anyone providing healthy, varied food for their child should be welcomed. Just because it isn’t the standard cheese sandwich, pack of crisps, apple that goes mouldy in bottom of bag and a choc bar doesn’t mean it’s OTT or absurd. DD1 has very specific ideas about her packed lunches and I’m sure some of might make your eyes roll but she eats healthy, varied food. Like I would make for my own packed lunches!

Smoked salmon bagel is hardly extravagant. Costs about the same as some "wet ham" as my DS calls it. He doesn't like sandwiches so usually has leftovers or something like that bagel. Leftovers are the best from my point of view. Just shovel some of last nights dinner into a box. Job done.

YABU, those sound like lovely lunches.

It’s nutritious. Lucky lucky child having parents who can afford to and care enough to do it.

When I was a TA I saw children sent in with some sorry looking lunches, mint sauce on mouldy bread, a single fromage frais and a half eaten burger were among the worst ones. A child being sent to school with a healthy, filling lunch shouldn’t be seen as over the top or extravagant it should be the norm!

That's a healthy packed lunch and the child eats it, so I really don't see what the problem is. My children would have had a smoked salmon and cream cheese bagel fairly regularly when they that age, it's a completely non remarkable lunch.

As a TA in a PS you should not be

1. posting about children on SM
2. judging children’s packed lunches

Agree

btw OP it's 'packed lunch'. Not 'pack lunch'. Surprised you don't know this as a TA.

It’s not really extravagant is it? Salmon costs about the same as decent ham. It takes no longer to put cream cheese on a bagel than butter on some bread. Cream cheese can be cheaper than butter.

Quiche is probably left over, as with steak.

Focaccia is fancier but just bread.

I would be more worried about the kids going hungry, or eating only junk, than those happily eating decent healthy food.

My "picky" dc2 (aged 7) sometimes has smoked salmon and cream cheese bagels for lunch at school. She won't eat ham or non melted cheese sandwiches. She would eat jam but I don't want her having that regularly.

She will eat Greek yogurt with apple slices, raisins and compote. She won't eat most flavoured yogurts aimed at kids.

She had a half of a red dragonfruit yesterday.

There is no point me sending them with stuff they won't eat.

What would you rather have them eat - a fish finger sandwich with crisps. Good on them for investing jn their child's health and hibing them real food.

I’m a TA in a primary school and would think - yum!

Far better than a solitary cold Greggs sausage roll (which I saw last term).

1. There's nothing weird or over the top about that food.
2. Why are you poking about in children's lunchboxes?

This

Op this is a normal packed lunch and sounds like left overs from dinner which is fine. If I saw that I’d smile because you know the child most likely has a loving parent behind the scenes. Feeding your children home cooked, effort filled and nutritious meals should be a core responsibility of a parent as well as an act of love.

Why on earth wouldn’t the parents let them have a FSM instead??

I think you're jealouse op.

I can’t see what’s odd about a sandwich and some yoghurt or a slice of quiche?!! They sound like pretty standard packed lunches, even back in the 80s/90s when I used to bring one to school!

Mine would have eaten any of that although they weren't fans of sandwiches so would have gone with the quiche. They also had pasta, arancini, felafel, homemade chicken nuggets, salad, berries etc.

Any of your examples are better than processed ham or a jam sandwich. What do you think would be an ideal lunch box?

What was your lunch @Diadrie?