Things That Make Me Annoyed: Lunchbox Edition

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Don't get me wrong, I actually really do like lunchboxes. They are usually very cute, and serve an important purpose. However, when taking care of children the lunchbox takes on a whole new life of its own. You no longer think of the lunchbox as a cute accessory to a backpack that safely carries a lunch from point A to point B, but instead it becomes this annoying box that many times turns into a biohazard zone. What should be a simple task of packing or unpacking one's lunch somehow always turns into the biggest battle ever, many times ending in fights or even tears. The first half of the lunchbox disaster always starts like this:

Me: "(Insert child's name here) did you pack your lunch yet?"
Child: "No, I am going to do that right now."
Ten minutes later, Me: "OK, is your lunch ready yet?"
After standing staring into the cabinet for ten minutes and not moving, Child: "No... I don't know what to pack, there is nothing that I want." I then proceed to rattle of a list of whatever there is to eat in the house.
Child: "OK, fine. I guess I will have (insert whatever food they have chosen, begrudgingly I might add)."
Ten minutes later, Me: "OK, are you done now?"
Child: "No, I still need to find a snack."
Me: "AHHHHHHH... OK fine, well hurry up!" Ten more minutes and the lunch is finally packed, then I proceed to go on for another five minutes reminding said child to get their lunchbox into their backpack. It wouldn't be soooooo bad if I only had to do this for one child, but the above scenario must be repeated for each child in the family, which in this case is three. The second half of the lunchbox battle goes like this:

Me: "(Insert child's name here), please empty your lunchbox and put it away."
Child: "OK."
Ten minutes later, Me: "Did you put your lunchbox away?"
Child: "No, not yet."
Me: "OK, please do that now."
Child: "OK."
Ten minutes later, Me: "Did you put your lunchbox away yet?"
Child: "No, I am doing my homework now. I will put it away when I am done."
Me: "Fine, please put it away."
Ten minutes later... I have moved into another room. Said child finishes their homework and comes to join me. Once again, Me: "Did you empty your lunchbox and put it away?"
Child: "Yup!"
Me: "Great!" I then head into the kitchen to do something else where I find either one of two scenarios. One is that the lunchbox has in fact been emptied, but is still sitting on the counter, and not in the cabinet where it belongs. Two is that the lunchbox is still sitting there, completely full of their lunch. So in the end, after pestering three children to empty their lunchboxes for about an hour, I get stuck emptying the stupid things and putting them away. If I am really lucky I will be sure to find some disgusting rotting piece of ancient food that they have left behind as a present for me! Sometimes something great happens though... they buy their lunch at school!

3 comments:

Molly Pants said...

It makes me weirdly happy to know that someone else goes through this! I also enjoy the morning rituals of asking the kids to brush their teeth, put on shoes, make beds or even just get dressed! They do these things every single day, yet can't seem to do any of them without about 6 reminders!

Vic said...

Hehehe! I just don't get it, I mean these things should take like 2 seconds to do, and obviously need to be done, but no it is like asking them to move a mountain!

Anonymous said...

... so I guess this is what I have to look forward to in 4ish years... sigh!