Who makes school lunch

[ChantsHinch]

I have 2 DD, 14 and 19. Both in school. I make their lunches and a friend of mine was shocked that I still make my girls lunch. I thought we were all doing this??? Just wondering when you stopped making school lunches for your kids?

Mine make their own, started when they started secondary school. I leave the house at 7.30, they don’t leave till 8, they have more time than me, makes sense for them to do their own. Also we all like different things so it wouldn’t be easier to make them all at once (one like sandwiches, the other won’t eat cold food so takes stuff in a food thermos.)

I also think in general teenagers are ridiculously babied by a lot of parents. I have friends who pack their teenagers school bags for them, and check their timetables and homework etc. Learning to organise yourself (including leaving enough time to make your lunch) is a skill. They need to be given the opportunity to be independent.

I make DD's sandwich, I'm making mine anyway so it's just as quick to make them both. I do it the night before and stick them in the fridge in tupperware sandwich boxes to save time in the morning. DD puts together her own lunch bag though.

I made them for years - reason: I made mine at the same time (the night before and put in fridge). I didn’t want her fannying around in the kitchen when mornings were a rush anyway.

Exactly.

As long as they don’t get to adulthood unable to do any of the house chores (or unwilling to do them when needed) then that’s the important thing.

I make for my school age teens.
One has training before school three times a week and barely has time to shower and eat breakfast and I won’t give them sandwiches made the night before as they make me feel sick. So if I’m making one it seems harsh to not make for the other.
By 19 I’d be expecting them to sort themselves out, when my eldest was 19 at college packed lunch was socially unacceptable. It was canteen food and spoons on Friday. DC2 left for University at 18.

To be fair, she can but she leaves for school early so while making the other 2 it’s easier to put hers on the shelf (she takes a tin of soup rather than a sandwich so we’re not technically making her lunch). She also cooks for the family once a week so it’s not like she’s not pulling her weight.

Mine are 13 and have made their lunches since they were in year 5

My 7 year old DNephew could make his own school lunch but he has school dinners.

I still make my DD’s (14). I do it when I’m making breakfast. It literally takes me 2 mins.

Me and dh both work full time. Our children had school dinners at primary. Since starting high school our children make their own lunches, or they buy a school lunch. It is their choice, there is always money on their school accounts. Ds always gets a school lunch. Dd generally takes a packed lunch.

Sometimes, but not with any regularity, they will cook dinner.

They are responsible for their homework, pe kits and bags.

It is important teens can be independent although dh makes my packed lunch

Stopped at secondary school. I have never made DH a packed lunch ever. I make mine the night before.

My daughter has made her own since about 12. Same with my eldest she is now 22, works FT and always takes a pack up in. I think because she has been responsible for making her own lunch from around the same age

Both had money so could buy from the school canteen but fussy eaters and didn’t want to bother queuing .

DD 13, I still make her lunch. I only have the one child and she struggles to get going in the morning and has an early bus to catch.

I do aged 9,13 & 15 if I didn’t they just rack up huge school dinner accounts mine are extremely lazy though and do nothing

Mine do - since starting Year 6. Since they started secondary they are responsible for cooking one meal a week as well. On the days I work, I am often out of the house 16 hours a day (my DH is around but wfh). I organise shopping to ensure they have a range of foods to eat in lunches and for meals and generally they pack a pretty healthy lunch. They do the night before to maximise time in bed in the morning

I think that low level tasks are good as it makes it ‘normal’ that these things just get done. I see some of our young people in the office buying a meal deal every day and it blows my mind. The expense! I am quite tight though

Mine similar ages and I make theirs

I’ll be stopping when she goes into high school. If primary age kids can’t have their lunch made for them by mummy then it’s a pretty poor do. They’re only in primary school once then they’ve got a lifetime of taking responsibility for themselves. Let them be kids!

DD made hers in Yrs 7 - 9 but, when she started Yr10, I realised that a combination of homework and sport meant she was much busier in the evenings than I was so I started making them again. She’s really grateful!

I did it for mine until he finished college at 18. He had the same lunch every day and it took seconds to assemble most of it the night before and make a quick sandwich in the morning. He would have been perfectly capable of doing it but I liked doing it, making sure it was nice for him and slipping in the occasional treat to surprise him if he had an exam or something.

I stopped in year 4.

I do my teens and pre teens pack up, and I’ll carry on doing it until they don’t have them anymore.

Dh makes year 11 dc's when he makes his own.

I do dds she’s 15 I also do DS 22 and DHs too And they have different things too! I don’t work out the house and I usually do it when sorting out the dinner the night before
if they want to do it themselves they can and do it
they all have super long days so if I can make that easier for them I do

Same! I make mine and a pupil in class (never given a packed lunch) so I may as well make my daughter's and husbands while I'm at it!