Mum ditches packed lunches and forks out $10 a day for her son to buy his at school

A mum has explained why she ditched packed lunches and forked out $10 a day for her son to buy his at school.

Children’s lunches can be a controversial topic; while many parents find it more financially responsible to curate midday meals for their children, others opt for lunches at school.

Nama Winston has chosen the former and has defended her decision, declaring that giving her son $10 (£8) each day doesn’t mean she loves her son less.

Before making the switch, Nama used to go shopping to get food for her son’s lunchbox and would go an extra mile to cut and prepare everything into shapes.

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After sharing a picture of a sandwich she made and cut into a ‘W’ - her son’s initials - and was told that she needed to get a job or a hobby, Nama defended herself.

“But I’m glad I did it, because it was fun while it lasted,” she said in an article for Kidspot.

She eventually realised that her son wanted to eat the same things that the other kids at school were eating from the school canteen. Nama noticed that her son would return home with his lunchbox ‘basically untouched’ and prompting him to choose his own food and pack his own lunchbox didn’t yield any success.

The options offered at her son’s school includes things like hot cheese toasties and homemade lemonade, spaghetti bolognese and toasted tuna bagels.

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Nama then decided to pay for her son to get his food at the school canteen, content that he was eating which he needed to do to concentrate.

“Knowing your child is fed and has the full belly they need to have energy and nutrition, is one of the main goals of every parent,” she said.

“So, it was a win-win. And as a sole parent working full time: I was loving that.”

The mum justified the cost because she was no longer having to buy lunch groceries and she’s a mum-of-one. Since she makes her own packed lunch for work, she says, ‘my kid’s school lunches are a justifiable expense’.

She added: “I also find that he's not ravenous for junky snacks when he comes home, and will actually eat my prepared homemade meal.”

Topics: Parenting, Food and Drink

Gregory Robinson

Gregory is a journalist working for Tyla. After graduating with a master's degree in journalism, he has worked for both print and online publications and is particularly interested in TV, (pop) music and lifestyle. He loves Madonna, teen dramas from the '90s and prefers tea over coffee.