Monday, August 19, 2013

Mixed Message in a Lunchbox

"Mom," Noah told me last week as he rummaged around in a cabinet, "when you give me blueberries in my lunch, you should put them in this." He held out a plastic container with a lid. "It would be perfect, just the right size and they won't get smooshed in my lunchbox."

"I think you're right," I told him while cooking dinner and writing a grocery list at the same time. "Good thing I saved that. I thought it was cute, good for saving small amounts of gravy or sauce or something."

"It IS cute," he agreed, put the container back and left the room.

Flash forward a few days. This morning I was making his lunch and rinsed off a few blueberries. I remembered what he had said last week and thought he would be happy to open his lunchbox and see that I had remembered his suggestion.

Container.
Blueberries.
Lid.
Lunchbox.
Done.

But then I took it out again. I had doubts. Maybe this wasn't the best idea. But the image of his delight at having been heard, something that the youngest child in the family struggles with, overwhelmed me. If those blueberries were in any other container he would be sad and disappointed that I didn't remember what he had suggested just a few days ago. An idea that I had agreed was a good one.

So I got out a black Sharpie and did a little artwork on the container. I covered up anything that I thought might have raised eyebrows, proudly put it back in his lunchbox and sent him off to his first full week of third grade.

A few hours, and several cups of coffee later, I had a bold jolt of OHMYGOSHWHATDIDIDO?!

I grabbed this out of the fridge in it's pre-repurposed form. He's still at school and I'm expecting a call from his teacher any minute.

I guess any mom can write a note, but it takes a special breed of mom to send a message.

Yeah. Sigh. Big sigh.

8 comments:

  1. I'm assuming you sent it without WINE in it, yes? And you said you Sharpie'd out the inappropriate stuff? If the teacher says anything, just share your story about how you much you wanted him and his opinion to feel heard and valued. But given my experiences, the lunch supervisors don't even catch the Big stuff, let alone stuff like this. :)

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    1. One kid complimented him, said his mom had the same containers around. Ha! He might have started something.

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  2. Hilarious! Everything has a purpose, and almost a repurpose and I think that idea is catching on, and who is to say exactly what that repurpose should be?

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  3. Is that glass? Maybe box wine would be safer.

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  4. LOL! I confess that I have more than once considered getting some of those wines, even at their extortionate convenience store prices, just for the reusable containers! Is the wine any good?

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    Replies
    1. It wasn't great, but it wasn't horrid but my standards aren't that high I suspect. I got them at Walmart, figured they would be good for a picnic. They were.

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    2. If you can get them from Walmart I may yet try them, then.

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