
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.