"I Did It!" - Lunch packed by a 2-Year-Old

Normally I pack lunches for both girls the night before, even if the little one and I will be eating at home, since it's easier than getting everything out twice! But sometimes I make something special for Big Sis, or only have enough leftovers for one lunch, so throw something together for Little Sis the next day. 

On THIS day. it was unseasonably sunny and warm, so E wanted to play on the back porch, which meant she was all up in my grill when it was time to make lunch. She wanted to help. Why not? It took twice as long, but she was so proud of herself! 

Friday, 10/3/14 - While heading out the sliding glass door to the back porch, E stopped to fiddle with my silicone cup drawer. AAARGH! Get your grubby hands off my... Hey... Do you want to pick which ones go in your lunch?

She was beyond thrilled at being trusted to touch Mama's "don't get those dirty please" stuff! And it was fun for me to watch as she made her selections, and listen to her chatter her thoughts.

I let her choose which fruits and veggies she wanted from the produce drawer, and listed off the protein and grain options as well. She picked tomatoes, a yellow heirloom carrot, blackberries, a hard-boiled egg, and gluten-free pretzels. 

She carefully chose each individual berry and tomato that went into her lunch!

I gave her some logistical suggestions for where stuff would fit best in her EasyLunchbox, but let her choose where everything would go.

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Kids of all ages so often feel helpless and less than capable. Setting them up for success and trusting them to do things you know they can do themselves is an amazing way to help boost their self-confidence and give them a sense of pride in their own accomplishments. And when I can so all this while fobbing off one of my jobs onto her? Sign me up! It might take longer. It might be messier. There might be more wasted food. Or they might choose to pack more treats or choose a less-healthy option (pretzels versus whole-grain bread, for example.) But they are definitely more likely to eat it!

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