Kindergarten lunch hour vs. fourth grade lunch hour

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A few days ago, I went to school to volunteer and eat lunch with the boys.

First, I volunteered and made copies for teachers, along with managing to get the copy machine stuck.  I’m blaming it on the construction paper.  (That stuff is thick, I’m telling you.)

Then, I went to meet Maxim in the lunchroom to eat lunch with him and about 78 other kindergarteners.  All I can say is bless those teachers and staff who work with our precious kindergarten lovelies.  Seriously.  Those people will have BIG jewels on their crowns when they get to heaven.

Maxim was so sweet to save me a seat.  And he had my sandwich laid out at my spot, too.  I was so impressed to see that after he’d taken a bite of his sandwich, he set it right on top of the ziploc bag.  YES!  He knew not to set his food on the table (we all know that there are a lot of germs on those tables…sneezes, coughs, and just plain spit and food particles from one talking with one’s mouth full of food).

What does a mom pack in a lunchbox for her kindergartner?  A sandwich (Maxim prefers turkey, cheese, and butter WITH the crust cut off), a bag of chips, little baggie with some carrots, juice box, and a little Reese’s peanut butter cup for dessert.  Ironically, the Reese’s peanut butter cup was eaten first.  Because that’s what you do when your mom isn’t around.  (Like I didn’t know this?  I’m sure I pulled the same trick back in my days of youth.)

As we ate, we visited with his little friends at his table.  It was so comical.  Did you know that while eating, one can twirl around in his spot without spilling the whole carton of milk?  Yes, you’ll only spill approximately 1/3 of your milk.  And did you know that it’s necessary to always be moving (your mouth, your hands, your feet, whatever) while eating?

Seriously friends.  These little precious five year olds (and perhaps a few four or six year olds) are NONSTOP MOVING.

So, what do five year olds talk about at the lunch table?  Well, by all means, appropriate things.  Of course.  Maxim (yes, our son) talked about tooting (which is hilarious if you are five).  One little guy talked about how he plays video games all. night. long.  I pray he is only exaggerating.  And of course, discussing lunchbox characters.  People, these are real world current events.

I will share with you that while we ate our lunch, the teachers and cafeteria staff walked around to monitor and visit with these little munchkins.  AND THEY DID THIS WITH SMILES ON THEIR FACES.  Love them.

My favorite part of lunch was noticing Maxim’s sly behavior.  Within eight minutes of us eating, he was sneaking over to me ever so closely.  Yes, we sat side by side.  But I’m talking about the settle lean over next to Mom.  Then, casually take a bit of his sandwich and go in for the stand and lean…as in, stand and lean right on my shoulder.  Until he was right. on. my. lap.  Yes, he was wanting to sit on my lap amidst all of his peers.  I love this boy.  But I had to be the “Mom who follows lunchroom rules” and tell him that he really needs to sit on his own seat.  (See, this is typical Maxim behavior.  That I absolutely LOVE.  When we are eating at home, out for supper, wherever…within about ten minutes, he is trying to sit on my lap.  It melts my heart) #alwaysbemybaby

After about twenty minutes, it was time to line up.  In line, one of Maxim’s friends asked if I was his mom.  He proudly replied, “Yes”.  Then, the little boy asked, “Is your dad big?  Does your dad have a mustache?”  (Wait.  What?)  To which Maxim answered, “No.”  (Hubby, I’m sure Maxim meant that “No” to be towards the question about the mustache.)

We then left the cafeteria and headed out to recess…all eighty kindergartners.  Picture someone trying to herd cats.  That’s about what it was like.  These little peanuts are just la-la-la-ing in their own world.  But once again, the staff was amazing and performed miracles, similar to ones like Jesus turning water into wine.  Because those four classrooms of kindergartners made it to their playground.

(At one point, as we walked to their playground, one little boy tapped me and asked me to tie his shoe.  I kindly did only to see another boy waiting behind him for me to tie his shoe.  I worried that I was going to be tying fifty more pairs of shoes, but that wasn’t the case.  Thank you, Lord.)

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Now…fast forward thirty-five minutes.  And it’s fourth grade lunch.  (For the record, I’m not going to eat twice a day when I go to volunteer at the boys’ school.  But on the first day, I wanted to be fair and “eat with them both”.  Though I didn’t eat at Nate’s lunch time, I just sat with him and his friends.)

And listen.  I was in HEAVEN.  Because I was at lunch with mature, grown-ups (or at least it felt like it, after being surrounded by seventy-nine five year olds only a half hour ago).

What is fourth grade lunch like?  PURE BLISS.  The boys all sit at one table and girls sit at another.  (Think junior high dances.  Boys against the wall.  Girls dancing in a mob.  This all starts in fourth grade people.)

Now, of course there is one similarity.  The Snickers candy bar was eaten first by Nate.  Not wasting time with the healthy stuff…go straight for the dessert.  What else is in a fourth grader’s lunch box?  Vegetarian alphabet soup (he is soooo his mother.  I love that soup.), string cheese, bag of chips, little bag of carrots, juice box, and yes, that little Snicker’s candy bar for dessert.

Once you sit at your table, it’s serious business.  Chow down some soup while talking about sports and other ‘guy’ stuff.

I was able to carry on a conversation with another mom who came to eat lunch with her son.  It was almost like a lunch date at Panera.

Fourth grade lunch rocks.  No twirling on chairs, just scarfing food down as fast as one possibly can.  This lunch hour seemed like it was thirty seconds.  It was beautiful.

In all honesty, I loved getting to eat with both of the boys.  And seeing the differences in the lunch hours.  That whole day made me smile.

I wouldn’t have probably enjoyed it as much, if I hadn’t stopped and really enjoyed the moment.  Be present.  No matter where you are.  Whether  you’re herding cats or on a lunch date.  See the good in your moment and make yourself smile.

 

 

 

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