Indulge in the Luxury of Prepackaged Snacks
It’s (sort of, sort of, maybe) back-to-school season which is even more interesting and stressful than usual this year. Depending on where you live, you can send your kids to school wearing masks, or leave them at home to study with a Chromebook. Maybe it’s a mixture of the two. It probably sucks anyway, so I think you should just go ahead and ease one little aspect of your life and buy some pre-packaged snacks.
Yes, packaging is wasteful and if you have time to put a big bag of muesli into small jars, I love this one for you. A lot of parents don’t, and I don’t think they should feel bad buying a large bag that has many smaller bags filled with pretzels or raisins, layers of cauliflower, or whatever kids eat these days ( not peanuts, I’ve heard – but maybe peanuts ?).
Just allow yourself this tiny concession, even if your kids are homeschooled. Pre-packaged snacks are easy to package and ship to the world, yes, but they are also easy to adjust and count . A child is much more likely to understand that “you can have one small bag of muesli” than “you can eat a quarter cup of muesli”, and numbers are just harder to fool.
Plus – and I can only speak for myself – I’ve always thought there was something comforting about opening the breakfast box and finding a neat package of some signature snack. A pudding cup, a Cheez-Its bag, a string of cheese – these appetizers exhibit a kind of down-to-earth normality that most people currently lack in their lives. If Fruit by the Foot can make your daily routine a little easier and also give your child a little joy, let him eat his Fruit by the Foot. (You should probably start, too – these things rule.)