Thursday, August 27, 2009

Because I am a grown up like that

So, I'm glad to read I'm not the only mom who still makes school lunches for her kids. Also, on days the kids choose to take a lunch from home, I also put a note inside each one. Nothing too mushy or gushy, just a quick note to "have a great day!" with a smiley face .... love, Mom

The notes are no big surprise since I do them every day, and this morning I was writing them out at the kitchen table while the kids were eating breakfast. Kellen said, "Is that my lunch note?" and the tone in his voice alerted me .....

"Do you not want a note anymore?" I asked. "Do you feel like they're silly, or you're too old?"

Don't get me wrong, I love writing them, and hoping that they give my kids a little boost mid-day, but I wouldn't ever want to embarrass them in front of their friends.

"Well," Kellen said, "It's just that some of the boys I sit with take them and read them."

"Read them in a 'oh, your mom is so cool' kind of way, or read them to make fun of you kind of way?" I asked.

"Making fun" Kellen replied.

{{now before we go any further, these boys are Kellen's friends, and its in no way a bully situation. Just boys harrassing boys ... being boys ... acting like boys ...}}

"OK," I said. "I'll stop sending them. I don't want to embarrass you."

"I like the notes," Kellen admitted. "I just wish the other boys wouldn't read them."

"Hmmmm." I said, "Let's do this. Starting tomorrow, I'll put the notes in a secret pocket of your lunchbox. That way they won't be able to see them. But for today, let them find it, ok?"

And this is the note I put in Kellen's lunchbox today:

Kellen,
It's too bad so many people in the world (you know who I'm talking about, don't you? And if you're reading this note, so do YOU ....) are such flatulating buttheads. Have a great day!!
Mom

26 comments:

Jenni said...

You're such a cool mom!

Daisy, Just Daisy said...

My Mom made our lunches too. For many years we got them in a brown paper bag & Mom would write our name on them in marker. One day she doodled on my brother's and it became a class hit (I think he was in kindergarten?) Every day for the year the class woulde eagerly anticipate his lunch bag drawing. The drawings became elaborate, with characters & voice bubbles, Mom would have to start them the night before. Our school was fairly small so while the kindergarteners loved it, I the ever-wise third grader was MORTIFIED.

J-Quell'n said...

Brilliant! I always loved it when my mom would put a little something special in my lunchbox - a card with a note or an extra special treat. Hell, I'm nearly 27, and I wish my mom would make me a lunch with a special note in it right now!

Kate said...

My mom made my lunch until I graduated high school and embarrasingly enough I didn't realize this was unusual until reading your blog this week! I am a well adjusted adult who can pack my own lunch now so I say keep making the lunches as long as you can - your kids will forever remember how kind that gesture is!

Anonymous said...

I packed my sons lunch everyday for 13 years of school and I always included a note. His friends were always jealous that they either ate hot lunch, or didn't have a cool enough Mom to include a note. For their last day of their Senior year, I packed each of them a lunch with a note and delivered it to them. They all had tears in their eyes!!

Amber said...

What about buying the daily calendars on clearance after the first of the year, like the Far Side or trivia or something like that. Then just tear one off each day to stick in their lunch. He still gets the note from you and maybe his friends will think it's more "cool".

Pam D said...

Hee! brilliant, but I'd expect nothing less from you. I would love to have seen their faces when they read the note.

Tobi said...

wait - moms make lunches??

Anonymous said...

That is awesome! I bet the ones that were listening to the one reading cracked up! "flatulating buttheads!" That is classic! Thanks for the laugh!

Anne in GA

Anonymous said...

That is hilarious! But word of warning:Be careful! If you really know theses kids, that is one thing. Because far worse than be known as the boy who gets notes in your lunch from mom would be to be known as the boy who tattles to mom about the guys giving him "The Business" and then having mom defend him.

I just remember Vern Howell and is mother coming up to the school to lecture the guys about mocking Vern's knock off Converse shoes. OMG, those shoes were the *least* of his problem for the next 2 years.

Rita

Anonymous said...

I had to come out of lurking to say BEST MOM EVER AWARD!!!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

PS. That last comment was me. I forgot to put my name at the bottom. My name is Mallory.

Anonymous said...

I packed my kids lunch for them everyday and ALWAYS added a little note and a smiley face. Three of them decided in about middle school that most days they would buy the hot lunch. My oldest son (second child) wanted the SAME thing everyday...peanut butter and grape jelly sandwich, bar-b-que chips and a Little Debbie oatmeal pie. When he started high school i thought he probably wouldn't wont the added note. Boy, was I wrong!! The first day of 9th grade he came home from school and asked where his note was! I told him I thought his friends might make fun of him since he WAS in HIGH SCHOOL. He told me he didn't care, if they made fun of him it was because they were just jealous! Oh, how my heart swelled! I continued doing it until he graduated and would have done it for college if it hadn't been so far to drive every morning :) So tell Kellen...those guys are "JUST JEALOUS"!!
~Debbie~

Jenny said...

Wouldn't you have loved to have seen their faces???? :) Too funny!!

Anonymous said...

I made my kids' lunches until they stopped taking them and started buying lunch every day. You are the coolest mom ever! I hope they all got as good a laugh out of that as we all did! :)

Gayle in AL

Anonymous said...

Terrific! I love everything about how you handled the situation. And I love that Kellen still values the notes from his beloved mother.

Karen B.

Anonymous said...

That is SO funny...great comeback!!
Patricia, GA

Brittany..Following my Bliss said...

I love it! can't wait to hear what the little buttheads thought of that note! lol

René S said...

WAY cool mom points! Don't you love it when you don't over think situations and just react? I hope he enjoys his note today.

René S said...

Or to put it in my son's language, that is "classical." He just can't get that he's supposed to say classic. Makes me chuckle every time.

Trish in Leesburg, VA said...

Love it! :) And I love that Kellen is not too old to tell you he still wants his note :)

The Traveling Yogi said...

Good for you!!!! Isn't it nice to know that even in middle school, our kids still appreciate what we do for them (even if they are slow to admit it). Keep on sending those notes.

Anonymous said...

Love it!
I want to pack my sons lunch, but he would rather eat school hot lunch- crazy kid -
anyway, since he doesn't have a lunch to put a note in, I leave a note next to his breakfast everymorning! He usually waits until I am not paying attention and reads it- then he always takes them up to his room. I think he has saved everyone I have ever written him. :)

J

cakeburnette said...

He won't get teased. His friends will now think you are coolest mom ever. You may even have to start writing separate notes for the "buttheads" and including them in the bag. Boys! ;)

kimi said...

You are my hero.

Jan R. said...

I think I will go back to making their lunch.
I always make them do it.
I hate making lunch.
But I think I will and now forsure I will include a love note from me to them.

Thanks Kristie for always keeping it real for me!

xo