These two things, teens and lunch bags, DO actually go together. Whether you've got boys or girls, food is vital to teens as they grow and require more energy than normal. Food is also a bonus to prevent those 'hangry' moments that arise all too often. What do lunches look like for teenagers at secondary school?
Well, being the mother of two rapidly growing boys, my kids have learned to take something, anything to school as there is no question that there will be a point in the day that they are STARVING! They will proceed to eat anything and not have a care in the world what it is OR WHAT IT IS STORED IN! Fashion conscious girls may be different (we have options for these girls!), but generally boys don't care too much what's on their lunch bag.
Both my boys generally pack their lunch bags in the morning, stuffing them into their backpacks and generally, the Fridge-to-go cooler bags rarely leave their backpacks! Time is of the essence so they unzip the top of the lunch bag (while it stays INSIDE their backpack) and they dip their hand inside. They seek out anything and get the sustenance inside their mouths as quickly as humanly possible, all the while socialing with friends and potentially swapping food with their mates in case they have major food envy.
There hands dip in and out of their bags as their stomachs growl and they try to stop the discomfort in the short time they've allowed themselves to eat. This is often in between games of handball and chitchat so they certainly don't use the entire lunch hour to eat!
My boys don't mind a patterned bag, even a pink bag, although they tend to stick to the darker colours and are partial to the plain black and navy. My partner and I also take our lunch with us most days whether we're in the office or mobile in the car so we're happy to take any colours that they boys have left behind. We use the 'discarded' lunch bags of yesteryear as they last and last.
Of course some teens may be REALLY picky about colours and what goes inside. Let your teen make these decisions and have some control over what and how they eat... let them pick the lunch bag they'll use to encourage them taking control. Let your teens join you at the supermarket and throw in some of those crappy snacks - what teen doesn't LOVE a crappy snack - again to help them take control and start to have some independence.
It's all over so fast so enjoy the ride and as much as you can encourage your teens to eat healthy, give them some flexibility and have real conversations about how they need energy and encourage a variety of foods along with staying hydrated! Raising teenagers is hard work, so give yourself a break and if you get the food side of things right even a little bit, you can spend more time on all the new challenges that will arise. Give yourself a break!! :)
