A while back I came across this Huffington Post story about Derek Benson, a video game developer who adorns his child’s daily brown paper lunch sack with some pretty amazing artwork. Take a look at one example:
Benson says he dashes off drawings like this in about twenty minutes and he does it every day. You can check out more of his work on his lunch bag art Tumblr.
So, this story got me wondering: is lunch bag artwork a thing?
Yes, people, apparently it is a thing!
Here’s the lunch bag art of another dad, Matthew Roberts. Here’s a mom’s artwork on the brown paper lunch sacks her child brought daily to a summer program. Here’s another, and another! And it goes without saying that Martha Stewart is out there encouraging us to decorate our kids’ lunch sacks with colorful labels and stickers.
I’m sorry, people, but it’s all I can do to put together a decent lunch (on some days I’m not sure we even achieve that low bar), toss it into two decidedly grubby lunch boxes and push my kids out the door. Getting out the pastel crayons is so not happening.
But just as I’m fascinated by those moms creating edible bento art each day, I’m also intrigued by these Lunch Sack Leonardos. Is it going way too far to make your kids feel special (which is how I felt about the daily, ego-affirming lunch box note) or is it a sweet expression of parental love?
Let me know what you think, and if you regularly decorate your kid’s lunch bag, I’d love to know how you pull it off and what motivates you to do it. You can even send pictures of your artwork and I’ll share them on TLT’s Facebook page.
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Bri says
Hee hee…you know where I’m going to come down on this one! But look. I’ve been thinking a lot lately. And apparently, there are many parents out there who think that what *I* do every day — packing homemade foods in a stainless steel container for my kids’ lunches (no bento art, no cookie cutters, nothing of the sort) — is “overkill.” I happen to think it’s a minimum standard that meets my family’s values about what we put in our bodies and what kind of waste we create on the earth. But everybody’s values are different, I guess.
Yes, I think this is overkill, and speaking of waste, it kind of makes me cringe to think of all those paper bags. I also think pre-printed lunch notes and sandwiches that look like Phineas and Ferb are overkill, adorable and loving though they may be. But I guess we all show love in different ways, and lately I’ve been thinking that I ought not complain about the ways in which people OVER-love, when there are so many kids whose parents under-love them. (That being said, I hope to God my kids never see somebody with one of these, because then they’re going to want me to do it, and that will never happen!)
Bettina Elias Siegel says
That is very well said! It’s all a matter of degree. I’m downright embarrassed sometimes by the lunches I pack when I mentally compare them to those of many fellow bloggers (ahem, YOU, among others) and Lunch Tray readers. But if you’re a just throwing a Lunchable in a bag and calling it a day, then my lunches would seem ridiculously elaborate. 🙂
Nat says
My brother has always made a napkin art for his daughter’s lunches … she is now in 4th grade and looks forward to seeing what he does. She has saved all of them which probably should be turned into a photoblog or something but it is truly sweet. He sits down in the morning with his markers and take that time to really connect. I’m not talented in that department but I commend those that are … !
Bettina Elias Siegel says
That is very sweet!
mara says
We can’t pull it off during the school year but I must say scott pulls off some pretty cool lunch bag art (though Derek Bensen puts him to shame) during summer sports camp when we have a later start and only one lunch to pack. I wish I knew how to upload some examples of his creations but ethan’s friends want to check out his brown bag everyday to see what the bag is. No way we could pull any creativity off on a school day.
Bettina Elias Siegel says
Mara: I was actually thinking of your husband and was going to dig through your FB page to find those photos but realized it would take me forever! Feel free to re-send and I’ll share on TLT’s page if you want. Scott deserves some credit for his work!
Amy Hadden says
My kids’ lunches are occasionally elaborate but ofter pretty plain. But I have always created lunch notes for them, because I love making them and they always look forward to them. I have started posting them every school day as free printable lunch notes on my website http://littlelunchnotes.com/. They are illustrated jokes, fun facts, etc. – please take a look.
Bettina Elias Siegel says
Amy: Your notes are lovely! Thanks for sharing here.
Lainey says
How is it overkill? Its something nice that the parent wants to do for their children? How is that a bad thing? Or the notes. Or a creative looking lunch. I understand your thoughts about overpraising etc. but I think the issue is more praising them when that is not what is appropriate. I agree with the wastefulness regarding the paper bags, however, I can’t imagine anyone would want to throw them away. Like the girl with the napkins. Its something to save and cherish. What a wonderful memory for her to have of her childhood. And I bet its wonderful to have something to look forward to – especially if the child is having a rough day. How nice to think you put a smile on their face. In any case, letting your children know you love them and are thinking about them during the day . . . . that can never be overdone.
Bettina Elias Siegel says
Lainey: Yes, when it came to the praising notes, that was definitely a concern about over-praising, which I do think has detrimental effects. But here’s what I wrote on The Lunch Tray’s Facebook page about all this: “My feeling about all this stuff – the lunch box note, the paper bag art, the beautiful bento food presentation — is that it can be lovely or it can be fraught, depending entirely on the motives of the parent. E.g., if you’re making little bento carrot bunnies with carefully tinted pink cheeks each day just to get your kids to eat carrots, then it feels too involved and controlling, and can create tensions if the kid doesn’t appreciate the effort and/or eat the carrots. But if it’s pure artistic expression that just floats your boat, and it doesn’t make your kid feel overwhelmed or embarrassed (as my 12-yr-old daughter feels if I even use a bento-style *container* with totally artless food in it!), then you should go for it!”