Ever since dd was put into play school, I had to shrug off my 'I don't cook' attitude and get my nose to the grind. Packing lunches every day five days a week, for so many years.
There were days when she would like the lunch! But those were few and far between. Some of the tiffins I packed for her would even be a hit with her friends and she wouldn't 'mind' taking them as long as her friends ate from her tiffin and she was allowed access to theirs!
Many a time we would agree on some sort of a routine - for each day of the week, a particular item- but this too never worked out.
Then ds started school too. And his tiffins had to be so different from hers. While she constantly craves variety rice one day, pasta the next, dosa, idli, baby idlis, roti, puri, parantha, breads, cheese, what have you, he was always steadfast in what was 'acceptable' tiffin to him.
There was a phase when they went to differnt schools and used to get different tiffins from mom. Dd had to make the compromise- she had to adjust to whatever was being made for the common tiffin. The ubiquitous potato reigns supreme.
Which is why this less than perfect mom fantasises about the perfect, nutritionally balanced, visually appealing tiffins that Meeta packs daily. I lurk there regularly but when come school mornings, it is back to the usual boring stuff.
A major disincentive to experimentation and trying new stuff is the attitude of ds. He sniffs at anything new in the most suspicious manner till I say, 'Angel, Amma has made it specially for you with love' to which he responds, 'Amma, why do you put SO much of "love"? A little "love" is enough!' And I would end up reverting to the standard fare earning the ire of dd!
Can't please them all - but am I trying enough? Priya, got me thinking...
There were days when she would like the lunch! But those were few and far between. Some of the tiffins I packed for her would even be a hit with her friends and she wouldn't 'mind' taking them as long as her friends ate from her tiffin and she was allowed access to theirs!
Many a time we would agree on some sort of a routine - for each day of the week, a particular item- but this too never worked out.
Then ds started school too. And his tiffins had to be so different from hers. While she constantly craves variety rice one day, pasta the next, dosa, idli, baby idlis, roti, puri, parantha, breads, cheese, what have you, he was always steadfast in what was 'acceptable' tiffin to him.
There was a phase when they went to differnt schools and used to get different tiffins from mom. Dd had to make the compromise- she had to adjust to whatever was being made for the common tiffin. The ubiquitous potato reigns supreme.
Which is why this less than perfect mom fantasises about the perfect, nutritionally balanced, visually appealing tiffins that Meeta packs daily. I lurk there regularly but when come school mornings, it is back to the usual boring stuff.
A major disincentive to experimentation and trying new stuff is the attitude of ds. He sniffs at anything new in the most suspicious manner till I say, 'Angel, Amma has made it specially for you with love' to which he responds, 'Amma, why do you put SO much of "love"? A little "love" is enough!' And I would end up reverting to the standard fare earning the ire of dd!
Can't please them all - but am I trying enough? Priya, got me thinking...
16 comments:
well, you are trying more than enough!.. but they are kids.. and they have their own opinions and those opinions are high influced by their freinds..! so its okey.. a phase later they will learn how hard it was to make.. and later ds will take common tiffin as dd..
A glimpse into the future for me! Enjoyed this.
Pragya
Hi Sujit!
You got it right- its the opinion of the friends which is important!
Hoping the friends like what I pack! ;)
Hi Pragya!
Lovely to see you here! :)
Hi Shankari
I guess your ds and my dd share something in common...Alloo parantha, alloo fry, alloo patty and all veges with allooo.But sometimes cheese, sprouts and idlis do come to a rescue.
You have to decide for the two...hats off to you.
Happy packing.
Hi Anj!
The prayer hereabouts is:
Give us this day our daily Spud!
:D
And I learn to ration out the "love" (spinach, greens, other 'nutritionally desirable' stuff) in tinier doses, acceptable to ds!
;)
Hey, i understand. Two kids with two different tastes must be quite a tough hing. But thank god, your husband does not insist on carrying tiffin!
For your daughter give some fancy name to the ordinay dishes and she wd love it. i used to give the boiled dal water and term it as soup! Semiya was introduced to him as chowmein . uitthappam as indian pizza.
Hey Chitra,
Both dh and I carry finicky tiffins too!
(Thankfully, the responsibility for packing them does not rest with me, but is passed on to another- :p )
Heh. your DD is a finicky darling, and i was the same while as a child (darling i perhaps was not). Variety IS the spice of life. But then, being a mother is a challenge.
A sweet, warm slice of an interesting life, lovely post.
Thanks P for finding sweetness, warmth and interest in this little rant!
As for the being or not of a darling, 'tis the prerogative and privilege of the mother to see the darlingness.
If life be variegated with spice, 'plain' vanilla aint too bad a flavour methinks.
Oooh, been there and still doing that!Don't mean to scare you(!) but I have to pack extra tiffin twice a week for ds bec he stays back in school. Obviously, this can't be the same as "morning tiffin"--it has to be as different from it as poss.! Then on Saturdays and sundays too I have to pack lunch for ds bec she goes to this institute. In the first flush of bridehood, I used to pack a carrier for dh, but that soon wore off---he preferred the hot canteen meals to my shaky efforts!
That makes it 14 tiffins per week!
Sorry, I meant dd insted of ds!Feeling like a commentspace hog. Sorry!
Hey with upto 14 tiffins packed a week, you are welcome to hog as much (space) as you can, Lak!
:)
Really Nice
Nice post, thank you for sharing this valuable information.
Post a Comment