“I put more money on your lunch account,” my wife tells Michael, 15, as we enjoy a rare family dinner at home the other night.
Apparently Michael was slightly overdrawn after his last lunch purchase and she was trying to square up his account and make sure he has plenty of money in reserve. Michael interjected that the lunch ladies never worry when he is overdrawn because the cash flow from my bank account to the school lunch coffers is reliable and never ending.
I was a little jealous because that day I had a ham and cheese sandwich for lunch for the second day in a row. While I was eating it I was thinking how good a hot lunch might be for a change. I stopped eating lunch out a long time ago to save money. When I suggested that my sons, who get hot lunch every day, might occasionally brown bag to save money I was outvoted 3 to 1. My wife protested loudest because she would have to add sandwich making to her already busy morning routine that includes driving them both to school. (I say make them walk but that is another blog). I suggested she make the sandwiches the night before and she looks at me like I’m from another planet. You can’t make sandwiches the night before, she explains, they will get soggy.
“But I make my sandwich the night before,” I reply.
She snarls and tells me that I don’t put anything on my sandwich but meat and cheese and therefore there is nothing to get soggy but that no normal person eats a sandwich that way. Truth be told I prefer my sandwich with a little mayo, lettuce and tomato but don’t have time to make it that way in the morning so I make it dry the night before and make do.
At the dinner table earlier this week I considered raising the hot lunch issue again because the country is in the midst of an economic crisis. With people out of work and some unable to afford necessities, I thought it might be a good time to suggest that the children sacrifice a little. Instead I chickened out and said nothing.
Should I raise the issue again?
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2 comments:
Yes, you should raise the issue again.
Two choices:
If the boys receive an allowance for doing chores, perhaps the hot lunch money could be paid out of their allowance.....OR
Have the boys review the hot lunch menu ahead of time and choose 2 or 3 days where they will have their favorite hot lunch. On the alternate days, THE BOYS will make their brown bag lunch---either the night before or in the morning. Mustard, mayo, lettuce, egg salad, or any other toppings can be added to the bread in the morning. Other lunch items such as chips, cookies, napkins, can be prepared the night before so that the morning rush goes more smoothly. Even fruit can be washed/prepared the night before and put in the lunch bag in the morning.
Option 2 will definitely receive squawking and it will require a change in routine, which will take getting used to. However, in the long run, you will save money and hopefully, the boys will learn some independence and better understand the value of money.
Elizabeth
You should have your own blog. Excellent options. Not sure which one I will try. For parents of younger children this provides an excellent blueprint for developing good habits before they are teenagers.
Thanks for your regular participation.
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