In My Mom Era

Apparently, the secret to getting my son to eat his lunch was to stop making it for him.

Every morning, I packed my son a lunch.

Every afternoon, he brought it home.

Not the lunchbox. Not just the empty wrappers. THE ACTUAL LUNCH.

Apparently, I was sending sandwiches on daily field trips. They got to visit school, spend a few hours in a lunchbox, and return home completely untouched.

Meanwhile, I was standing in the kitchen wondering why I bothered making the damn things in the first place.

So I quit.

I fired myself from making Declan’s lunch.

And wouldn’t you know it? THE CHILD NOW EATS HIS LUNCH.

Apparently, I Was the Problem. 🤣

For years, I’ve been responsible for figuring out what everyone in this house is going to eat. And with five children, that’s no small undertaking.

Breakfast. Lunch. Dinner. Snacks. More snacks. Someone asking for a snack approximately four minutes after announcing they were completely full.

You know the drill.

But school lunches? Those were becoming particularly irritating.

I’d pack Declan something I thought he’d eat. Something he had eaten before. Sometimes something he’d specifically asked for.

And then he’d bring it home.

I finally decided that if he wasn’t going to eat what I packed, he could start packing his own lunch.

He’s ten. He’s perfectly capable of putting together a sandwich and choosing what he wants to take to school.

So I handed over the responsibility.

And now?

HE EATS IT.

Same child. Same kitchen. Same general selection of food.

Different lunch-packing department.

I’m beginning to suspect the issue wasn’t entirely my culinary abilities.

Meanwhile, Someone Actually Conducted Research on This.

Recently, I received a press release from Curion, a consumer research company, about what parents look for when purchasing school snacks.

And I started laughing.

Because apparently, researchers have discovered something that parents everywhere have been experiencing since the invention of the lunchbox.

Children prefer food they actually want to eat.

I KNOW. GROUNDBREAKING. 🤣

In an August 2026 survey of parents with children ages 5–13, Curion found that convenience, lunchbox-friendly packaging and kid-approved taste were among parents’ leading priorities when choosing school snacks.

Portability came in at 54%, lunchbox-friendly formats at 53%, and kid-approved taste at 47%.

The company made an interesting observation: the lunchbox has two consumers.

The parent buys and packs the food.

The child decides whether to eat it.

And THAT is where things get complicated.

Because apparently, just because I think something belongs in my child’s lunchbox doesn’t mean my child agrees.

Who knew?!

Welcome to the Lunchbox Department, Declan!

Now that Declan is responsible for making his own lunch, something rather miraculous has happened.

He’s actually eating it.

And while I would love to claim that I’ve discovered some revolutionary parenting technique, I think the explanation is considerably simpler.

He has a say in what he’s taking.

He’s the one putting it together.

And when lunchtime rolls around, he’s eating food HE chose.

Obviously, there are still some parental responsibilities involved. I’m not handing a ten-year-old unlimited access to the pantry and telling him to survive on Doritos and whatever white chocolate he can locate.

But within reason? He can make his own choices.

And frankly, if it means I don’t have to unpack another perfectly good sandwich at the end of the school day, I’m all for it.

One Less Thing on My Plate

Here’s the other unexpected benefit.

I’m no longer making his lunch.

I have FIVE CHILDREN. There is ALWAYS something that needs to be done. Someone needs a drink. Someone needs a diaper change. Someone can’t find a shoe. Someone has apparently forgotten that they have homework until approximately seven minutes before bedtime.

So if one of my children can take responsibility for something he’s capable of doing himself?

ABSOLUTELY.

Not only is Declan learning to prepare his own food and take responsibility for his school day, but I’m also removing one more task from my already ridiculous daily to-do list.

And the food is actually getting eaten.

I consider that a rather successful management decision.

Consider This My Official Resignation

I spent all that time trying to figure out what to pack in Declan’s lunchbox.

Turns out, the solution was to let Declan figure it out himself.

I still have four other children to feed, so it’s not like I’m retiring from the kitchen anytime soon.

But as far as Declan’s school lunches are concerned?

My services are no longer required.

And I couldn’t be happier.

Now, if someone could just conduct a study on why children ask for a snack immediately after telling you they’re full, I’d REALLY appreciate it. 🤣

Kelly

I’M ME

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Research referenced: Curion Poll PULSE survey of parents with children ages 5–13, August 2026. Survey findings were provided in a September 23, 2026 press release.