Every morning, I drag myself down the stairs, grind the coffee beans and wait for that first drip to percolate. Early morning hours and I aren’t always on the best of terms, so there’s something about making that school lunch EVERY.SINGLE.DAY that I dread.
As I type that sentence, I realize just how pathetic that sounds, but on most days, it’s truth. Yes, I understand that this is a seemingly miniscule task that most mothers perform on a daily basis, but I was having an attitude. I was just tired of packing those lunches.
What should have been a celebration of gratitude for this simple privilege had turned to drudgery.
And then something happened. Something so insignificant, yet to me, it changed my entire outlook on this early morning coffee rendezvous.
And what I share next is for every mom out there that wonders if making their child’s school lunch is worth it.
One of these days you just might get a text from your 285 pound boy man child in the middle of the day, for absolutely no reason, which confirms that every single piece of bread buttered, every apple washed, every love note written (yes, he still gets them at 18), is ALL worth it.
And when those sweet words of encouragement fly across your phone, you’ll realize that the mundane gift that’s been set right before matters, whole lot! It speaks life.
So all you sweet lunch making mommas, tomorrow morning, while you sip that coffee and slap that bread together, pray over that precious child for which you are making lunch.
As you place each item in that lunch box, consider the gift you are giving, the blessings that you are anointing, and the honor you have to encourage the next generation of world changers, vision casters and legacy leavers.
It’s not just a lunch. It’s not just bread. It’s life.
P.S. It never ceases to amaze me how when I start getting discouraged on certain aspects of mothering, there’s always a little something that reminds me of this gift. Last year, I had a moment of Perspective Change on making school lunches with this story. I encourage you to read it. You never know what one sandwich might be doing for good.
P.P.S Edited to add since I’ve already had some emails. I do home school (and have for 17 years). We chose to place this son into public school last year in order to receive a full ootball scholarship and now our 16 year old is on the same track with a mixture of 1/2 school and 1/2 home school. We still home school the girls.
I thought you home schooled? Must have you confused with another blogger…
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Jen Reply:
November 5th, 2013 at 4:16 pm
No, I do home school (or should say, I have homeschooled for 17 years.) This is our second son who we put in public school last year in order to get a Division 1 football scholarship. Still homeschool younger siblings. I’ll actually add that to my post because it will probably confuse a lot of people. Our eldest (now a sophomore in college) was homeschooled all the way through.
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Mornings and I are not on the greatest of terms lately either. The lunch making has been hit or miss. Thanks for the extra encouragement to keep me from giving up homemade lunches all together. Love this post!
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Last night at the mother’s group I attended, we discussed the idea of offering up something that we do as prayer… sounds exactly like what you’re describing and I need to do this too when it comes to lunches. Thanks so much for the wonderful reminder.
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Wow, you have a way with conviction. I dread making lunches. Every. Single. Day.
I was thrilled today because there is no school here on election day and it is my birthday. I got to sleep in, did not have to make breakfasts or lunches! (Kids old enough to do their own on days they have the time.) And my husband is making dinner as I type. Great day!
But, that mundane chore could/should be a time for prayer and celebrating each child.
Thank you for the suggestion and reminder.
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Jen Reply:
November 5th, 2013 at 9:03 pm
OH Kim – Happy, happy bday and what a great way to celebrate – no lunch making. 🙂 Trust me, I am with you, that’s why I wrote this pretty much to myself so when my attitude needs adjusting I’ll go back to this. 🙂
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I have two children who prefer to have homemade lunches every day. It is a blessing to have come across your post tonight while surfing the web for low cost Christmas gift ideas. I must have been intrigued by the title to have stopped on this site. Anyway, reading your story reminds me of the blessings we have as moms and how important our lives are to our children and families. I have to remember those mothers who are unable to make lunches for their children due to illness or a worse tragedy. The task is mundane at times and so easy to forget how important it is. So, I will cherish tomorrow morning, leave a note and thank them for being who they are and let them know how much they are loved.
Thank you and God bless!
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Jen Reply:
November 5th, 2013 at 9:05 pm
So glad you found my little spot on the web and you should find lots of frugal ideas.
You bring up such a great point in that there are so many who would do anything to be able to make their child lunch, another reason why I needed to get my attitude in check and remember its simple blessing. 🙂 Have a Terrific Tuesday.
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Yes. I too can dread the packing of school lunches every morning. I make homemade pumpkin muffins here and there for lunch. They have become the hit at middle school with my triplets friends. I have had to make up baggies of extras for friends and I know my guys have traded them off and even sold them here and there. But, I know they will remember the times I made the muffins and the joy that and love that came along with that extra little effort of me doing this. It actually brings me more joy when I take the time to do this for them. What a great reminder to pray for our children while doing this daily task! Thank you for that!
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Awesome encouragment! I used to do the lunches and felt the same way! We homeschool but drive to group tutoring M and T.I learned many of my friends were having their children pack their own lunches. I took the leap, making it a family event Sunday night with me supervising:) it is fun gives me a break, they enjoy picking what to pack. I still remember my step mom packing my lunches. I rarely liked what she packed physically but remember the love she added to each bag and note. Way to go moms!
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Thank you for this! I usually have to wait until our annual visit to our In-Laws to get a mothering boost.
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Jen, I really struggle with making my children’s lunches for them. I am a working mom (I teach kindergarten) with 3 children who are perfectly capable of making their own lunches. I made their lunches everyday for a long time and then started telling them they had to do that because I felt like I was ruining them by doing everything for them. However, then they started taking whatever they could find to throw in their lunch bag because they didn’t prepare the night before and now we were late. I feel guilty either way. Am I ruining them by making their lunch? Are they ever going to know how to take care of themselves? I already make their breakfast and dinner. Or am I better of ruining them but at least knowing that they are getting something healthy to eat during the day? Crazy! That is what this mothering thing is, CRAZY!
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Jen Reply:
November 6th, 2013 at 5:11 pm
I tell you. I hear you!! There is NO right answer! And if they are capable of making their lunch, there is absolutely nothing wrong with having that be on their checklist the night before. It builds responsibility. Trust me, there are many DINNERS that I look at them and say, you can make something yourself. haha
For me, I already count on him for doing so many other chores and things that I’ve had to pick and choose. This is one thing that he is so appreciative for, so I keep doing it. Our eldest, different matter. He started seeing it as something I “HAD” to do for him and then I told him, “sorry, you can feel free to do this for awhile.” haha
NO GUILT ALLOWED! Only grace! We do what we can to keep our head above water, right? 🙂
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As I read your post, I thought about all the lunches I have packed for my girls (usually the night before because I can’t pull it together in the a.m.) and the stories my girls have shared about their lunches.
How their friends just love home baked cookies – so I always pack extra for friends. How some friends share fruit and how others tasted certain fruits for the first time – thanks to my girls. I also thought about how many times my girls have told me about kids who don’t have a parent who packs lunches, does laundry or even get up with their kids in the a.m.
Yes, I would love a few extra minutes of sleep – but it’s a worthy sacrifice. 😀
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When my son was in the 5th grade he asked me one morning to pack a extra sandwich in his lunch. He was always a small kid for his age and I thought thank you he is finally going through a growth spurt. The next few days there were more additions an extra cookie, a piece of fruit as well as the sandwich, by the end of the week it was obvious I was packing 2 lunches. When I asked him if he was really this hungry or if I was packing 2 lunches, he fessed up the extra food was for his friend in class. Apparently he didn’t have a lunch and my son had been sharing his. For the rest of the school year he went to school with 2 identical lunches, so they both had one. Nothing else was ever said about it. But when my son passed at the age of 15, a letter from that boy appeared in his casket saying how lucky he was to have my son as a friend.
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Jen Reply:
December 31st, 2013 at 11:28 am
Oh Barbara – you have me crying this morning. What a legacy your son left. I can’t even imagine your grief to lose your son at such an early age, but it’s obvious, he was an amazing young man.
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Thank you for sharing your story and that at times you struggle with the same issues as other moms! Your story is encourging and it’s the small things in life that make the greatest difference. Be blessed!
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Jen Reply:
January 6th, 2014 at 2:23 pm
Thank you for your kind words. Us moms need to stick together on this journey. 🙂
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I needed to read this today. I have not had a good attitude about packing my son’s lunch. I work full-time outside the home, and it just one thing that seems to throw my morning off. I will instead view this as a gift and a blessing.
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