A lunch for my 8 year old

The Ritz towers

When it’s lunch time, it’s not uncommon for my 8yo to balk, turning up her nose at the day’s meal. She usually comes around with some cajoling, but I find the process exhausting.

Today I told her I wanted to see how high we could stack up her lunch using ritz crackers. I grabbed an arm full of miscellany out of the refrigerator and we went to work.

The savory tower is turkey, shredded cheese, a baby bell cheese, topped with a dorito.

The sweet tower is peanut butter, jelly, chocolate frosting, blueberries, and a peach slice.

She was engaged, enjoying it, and cleaned her plate. It was a win.

In her usual day to day, I feel like she’s under stimulated. As so many working families have done in the pandemic times, we’ve adopted a completely lax stance on screen time. And, as so many working parents have probably ascertained, I feel like it’s nowhere near what she needs. This lunch was a brief respite, offering a tiny challenge in the face of a giant challenge.