Packing dinner for a summer lifeguard job

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If he's old enough to save lives, he's old enough to pack his own dinner. The end.

Really? My son is home for a few days from college and we enjoy cooking together. We look at recipes and go grocery shopping and meal plan. I see nothing wrong with a mom of a fifteen year old shopping and preparing some meals for her child who is working his first job. I swear some of you are just mean. Why even have kids if you don't want to support them.

Talking about ideas and shopping together and working together in the kitchen side by side is quite different than "I'm helping my DC pack lunches," which is literally what her OP says.

My oldest is 12 and she likes packing her own lunch. She may ask for ideas, ask me to buy certain things at the grocery, or ask for help on a busy morning if she forgot to pack the night before, but I stand by what I said: old enough for a job, old enough to save lives? Pack your own lunch. Land the helicopter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They can't eat dinner because they would need to wait an hour afterward before they could swim.

Please tell me you're joking and don't actually believe this is a real thing.

[Anonymous]

Haha. Thankfully since he’s a junior lifeguard he won’t be responsible for lives. He’ll mainly check the chemicals in the pool, sign people in, clean the bathrooms.

Just got back from traders joes together so we’re set for the week! He has enough for sandwiches, yogurt, snacks, veggies. Thank you to those that have actual advice. And congrats to all the parents whose kids are already so independent!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had 2 lifeguards that worked at different pools and it seemed everyday it was different shifts. I would pre-make sandwiches on those little Hawaiian Rolls with meat and cheese and wrap up individually and place in a bowl in the frig. This way, they could grab as many as they wanted quickly. If they wanted mayo or mustard, they had to put it on themselves.

We did similar, altho often I premade the sandwiches as roll ups on tortillas (the tortillas didnt get soggy). And they brought a lot of oreo packs, chip bags, and cut up fruit.

[Anonymous]

I would have him demand a snack bar meal per shift as a fringe benefit. Negotiating business terms a better life skill than learning how to pack lunch with Mommy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If he's old enough to save lives, he's old enough to pack his own dinner. The end.

Really? My son is home for a few days from college and we enjoy cooking together. We look at recipes and go grocery shopping and meal plan. I see nothing wrong with a mom of a fifteen year old shopping and preparing some meals for her child who is working his first job. I swear some of you are just mean. Why even have kids if you don't want to support them.

These are trolls. Please ignore their mean-spirited comments.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If he's old enough to save lives, he's old enough to pack his own dinner. The end.

Really? My son is home for a few days from college and we enjoy cooking together. We look at recipes and go grocery shopping and meal plan. I see nothing wrong with a mom of a fifteen year old shopping and preparing some meals for her child who is working his first job. I swear some of you are just mean. Why even have kids if you don't want to support them.

This is what you do when the kid is 12 not 20.

[Anonymous]

lol. I’m 45 and I do this with my mom whenever she visits me. She’s essentially helping me cook and plan meals for my family. So thankful I have a supportive mom even in her 70s

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If he’s old enough to lifeguard, he’s old enough to figure this out himself. I would let him.

This times 1000.

Some of you weren’t loved enough as children and it shows.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If he’s old enough to lifeguard, he’s old enough to figure this out himself. I would let him.

This times 1000.

Some of you weren’t loved enough as children and it shows.

Yeah, are you seriously treating your kids this way? I am all for independence but helping him with ideas is great. Plus, kids like junk food. My kid will pack himself a healthy meal if it’s stocked etc. Itherwise, he will just throw a bunch of random bags in and call it a day. Not what I would want, especially if he’s then training at 6am.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Haha. Thankfully since he’s a junior lifeguard he won’t be responsible for lives. He’ll mainly check the chemicals in the pool, sign people in, clean the bathrooms.

Just got back from traders joes together so we’re set for the week! He has enough for sandwiches, yogurt, snacks, veggies. Thank you to those that have actual advice. And congrats to all the parents whose kids are already so independent!

Good for you, OP. Those PPs posting about "independence" and "problem solving" probably don't even have teens. They have 2nd graders and think they know how all about how teens are supposed to be raised. Or, sadly, they have a pot-smoking college dropout or two living in their basement, and they are creating an online persona to pretend how they would do things differently.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If he’s old enough to lifeguard, he’s old enough to figure this out himself. I would let him.

This times 1000.

NP. So if you're 15 yo came to you and asked you to help them with ideas of what to bring to work for lunch you'd say - figure it out yourself?

I'd say, "You're a smart kid who's creative and good at problem solving. What are you thinking of bringing so far?" I'd prompt them to figure it out themselves.

That’s a fair approach, and I think prompting independence makes sense in some situations. I just see value in helping when they ask, especially if it’s about something practical like food planning. To me, being supportive and collaborative doesn’t take away from building their problem-solving skills, it models it.