It all started with the containers.
It's not like I didn't know this day was coming. That's why the focus on containers. For years I watched young students struggle to open the variety (increasingly difficult to tear) packaging their snacks came in. Once they were in, if they wanted to save part of the cheese/granola bar/fruit nibs/yogurt/molasses cookie/pudding, or even the apple/banana/orange (talk about difficult to tear packaging!) for later, they would have no option but to stuff the rest back into their lunchbox where it would generally spill/get squished/mix with something else. Ditto juice boxes - unless you know your child will drink the entire thing, give them the option to save some for later (and yourself the ability to provide the best drink for the least money) with reusable containers.
So I make note of all this, and resolve that when the time come, my children will have reusable containers for their food, because it's green, and because it gives them more control and thus more independence. Perfect future mom strikes again.
Let's make something clear - this is not some namby-pabmy half-time preschool type program, this is FULL DAY JUNIOR KINDERGARTEN. The sweet little souls will leave their daddy and daycare friends at the door at 8:40am (or 8:55; how are these details so unclear?) and will not be seen again by their family until they arrive at a bus stop at few blocks away at 3:45pm? (again no idea; they do tell us at some point).
Luckily there is a summer kindergarten program offered through the international languages program, so we as a family were able to experience school both half-time and without the distraction of my own students this July. Like the lunches, I thought I knew enough about kindergarten Moms to know exactly what sort I would and would not be. Luckily I was wrong, as the sort of mother I thought I would be would not have hung around the entire first three days and thus witnessed first hand the saga of the snack containers.
Why all the obsession with lunch containers? It's the one time in the day that belongs to the love between you and your child. That zipper opens and you get to pop out and say, "Hi! Here I am! It's your Mommy and I love you!" Once my kids identified snack as their favorite part of school that was it for me. All I want to do is make that moment, our moment, shine with all of the love from the other 7 hours of moments we won't have.
