My little guy, John, has this weird thing about lunch. Every day when he comes home from a tough day at kindergarten, I make him lunch. It can’t just be any old sandwich slapped together and thrown on a plate, though. There must be 3 things on his plate for lunch. And in his words, “Drinks don’t count.” What? Who made this rule? I humor him, and when I make macaroni and cheese, for example, I’ll be sure to add two more sides to his plate, maybe a couple of apple slices and a cookie. Usually it’s not a big deal. But some days I just can’t seem to come up with two more things that he will eat. It’s about all I can do to scrape together a peanut butter sandwich. But no, that’s not good enough. Every day he demands his “Three things” for lunch.
Last week, I went to the BYU women’s conference on Thursday and Friday, so I was gone at lunchtime. Ryan worked from home those days so that he could be there when John came home and fix him lunch. I called one day a little after lunch to see how things were going, and he said, “What’s with John wanting ‘three things’ for lunch? Where did that come from?”
Oh, the 3 things rule. Did he mention anything about a drink in his demanding of three things? I asked.
“Oh, yeah,” he said, “Drinks don’t count.”
Exactly.
How is it that my child has turned into such a picky little person? Who says you have to have three things for lunch? It’s a good idea to eat a variety of foods, of course, but why three?
A few days later I asked John why the infamous three ingredient lunch law. Did his illustrious teacher tell them something about nutrition? Did a friend tell him there must be three foods at lunch? “John,” I said, “Why must there be three things (not including a drink, of course) for lunch?”
His answer was quite simple.
“One day I was hungry, and I ate three things, and then I was full.”
Well, then. That explains it.
I always knew he was picky, but this is really weird. And does he have a meltdown if he doesn’t get 3 things?