My fifth grader came home from school saying that she wanted to take microwave popcorn for lunch because all the other kids are doing it. So I began to think about how I was going to handle this. First of all, I don’t like microwaves and do not use them. And secondly, I do not buy chemical laden, carcinogenic popcorn. But then I remembered the two siblings I went to school with that had health conscious parents. They would bring all natural peanut butter sandwiches, apples and water. I always felt bad for them because they wanted the bologna sandwiches, twinkies and kool aid like everyone else. So they would trade their food for the other kids’ food. So they probably ended up eating more unhealthy foods than the other kids. Everyone wants what they can’t have. I thought the most natural, economical, compromise would be to simply put popcorn kernels in a paper bag and let her take that and pop it in the microwave at school just like the other kids pop theirs. But as I was explaining this to her both of us realized that this was going to be awkward and embarrassing for her. I told her that I would think about it. I had an idea but I didn’t want to get her excited. I went to the store and found a couple acceptable options of microwavable popcorn that only contained olive oil and sea salt. I was so excited to show her what I had found! She wasn’t so excited. She was very skeptical. But I put some in her lunch box the next day anyway. She came home from school telling me that she loved it! We want our kids to be as healthy as possible but we can’t deprive them of everything or they will just want it more, grow resentful, rebel, and possibly develop an eating disorder. It’s difficult enough to be a kid and “fit in” so we need to be sensitive and understanding of this. We need to try to compromise with as healthy of options as possible while still allowing them to feel like a “normal” kid.
