Caroline does a lot of things right, and her post yesterday drove home one more thing I admire about her: she feeds herself well. I read her post with admiration and a little dismay because I, for one, don’t take the time or expend the energy to cook for myself when I’m alone. I simply don’t bother. I realize that Caroline made something very fast, very fresh, with minimal mess or clean-up, but I can barely get myself to make any lunch at all, much less breakfast, much less something different, now that the kids are in school. I just don’t want to take the time or expend the effort. These days, I subsist on bowls of cereal, grilled sandwiches, tuna, and, if I’m lucky, some leftovers–but the latter is very rare. I do eat a good, balanced dinner with lots of variety and that generally makes me feel better. But it doesn’t solve the problem of the rest of the day.
I know I should drink more milk or take my calcium, but I forget. I should grab pieces of fruit, but I don’t. I should bother to make a salad, but I don’t. My pantry is really well stocked, but I don’t use it for myself.
I have finally come to a truth: These days, my kids eat better than I do. Some days much better. I would never feed them the way I’ve been feeding myself lately. Why is it, for instance, that I buy $10 worth of fruit and don’t eat any of it? This week it was strawberries, the first of the season. Out of 3 pints I brought home, I ate maybe 3 strawberries. Come summer, it’s not unusual for the kids to eat every pint of berries.
And I wonder if this is a problem for other parents out there? Do your kids eat better than you? What do you do to take care of yourself foodwise when the kids are away from home? Do you care?
I like short term, focused projects, so for the next week, I’m going to make an effort to feed myself better. I’ll report back.
caroline
April 14, 2011 @ 6:10 pm
Thank you for the compliment, but it definitely hasn’t always been this way! After many years of subsisting on the leftovers of my preschooler’s snack, I determined this year, now that both kids are in school till the afternoon, to take time for lunch (occasionally with my husband, even).
But as for fruit, especially berries, I’m in the same boat as you; my kids get the lion’s share.