By Michael Eng | Managing Editor
My wife and I took it as a friendly reminder of something already delineated in the student handbook of our children’s new Plant City preschool.
As we unpacked their backpacks following their first day of school Tuesday, we noticed a little note tied to our 4-year-old son, Lyric’s, lunch box.
“The most nutritious lunches contain at least one food from each of these food groups …” the note began.
Uh-oh.
I’ll be the first to admit: Our family isn’t exactly a picture of health. But for our children’s lunches, we tried to pack a meal that wouldn’t make our pediatrician cringe: cheese sticks, milk, low-sugar pears and crackers.
But, there was glaring omission: vegetables.
When I saw the note, my heart sank the same way it does when the dentist asks if I have been flossing.
So, as Publix employees were making their final rounds before closing the store Tuesday night, I hurried through the doors and straight to the produce section. I grabbed a package of baby carrots, threw them in the basket and headed to the checkout.
But as I paid, I couldn’t shake what my wife, Jess, said before I left the house.
“We can get them, and we can pack them, but you know they won’t eat them,” she said to me.
She’s absolutely right. Vegetables might as well be a four-letter word to Lyric and our 2-year-old daughter, Aria. They scoff whenever we suggest anything green. The sure-fire way for my wife and I to keep our burgers to ourselves is to show them there’s some lettuce leaves tucked inside.
And I’m pretty sure Lyric thinks broccoli is some kind of punishment worse than Time Out.
Case in point: On the way home from school, Jess asked the kids what they wanted for dinner.
“You can have grilled cheese or eggs,” she said.
Aria chimed in: “Grilled cheese!”
Of course, Lyric objected immediately.
“Noooooooo,” he whined, the word bending up in pitch in the middle for supreme annoying effect. “I want … I want … I want … the other one.”
He didn’t hear the second choice, but he knew it was the opposite of what his sister wanted.
“OK,” I said. “You can have the broccoli. Aria can have the grilled cheese.”
“NOOOOOOOOOOO! I don’t want the broccoli!” he screamed.
Yeah, not exactly parent-of-the-year material here …
But, hey: It’s a new school year, right? It’s a time for our children to grow and learn. For parents, it’s a time to adapt to new routines and to give our children all the support they need to succeed.
For Jess and me, it’s a time to become involved in a wonderful new school community.
And maybe, just maybe, if we stubbornly include those carrots enough times in their lunches, Lyric and Aria will someday take a bite.
We’re excited for a new school year. Please share your son’s or daughter’s accomplishments with us. Email me at meng@plantcityobserver.com or give us a call, (813) 704-6850.C