[msuji]

i really need some advice here if any of u could help.. being a single parent i dont have another adult to discuss this with.. so here i go..

DD who is 11 has always been a good eater. she always pack a nice healthy lunch with lots of fruits or green salads with little tub of dressing. for the past few weeks, she said she didnt want anymore of those and wanted to bring just fruits to school. i was concerned at first because i know she 's a good eater but then i thought maybe just a growth thing where it stop and go.

But today while she packed her lunch, she finally told me that the reason why she didnt want to bring proper lunch anymore because the other kids always starred at her lunch and give comments like" what is that thing??" or "eeww.. i dont like that" (with disgusted face) and it embarrassed her in the class. seriously how strange is a multigrain bread roll with lettuce, mayo, cheese and salmon filling??

she has told the teacher and the other kids would stop for awhile but start again after awhile. so dd got sick of it. she even hide her lunch sometimes so other ppl cants see and finally gave up and only eat her fruits.

i feel so bad for her.. i told her how she dont need to be embarrassed, everybody likes different thing, so what if they dont like it.. doesnt matter what they say etc.. but i guess being a kid, its not the easiest thing. i dont know what else to say to her.

her self esteem is not that great at the moment. i dont think she can just not care what other people thinking of her. we have big issues about her thinking everybody starring at her for no reason.

how can i help her??? my head is blank and i want to say something encouraging and helpful but i dont know what!!

[I look incredibl...]

But today while she packed her lunch, she finally told me that the reason why she didnt want to bring proper lunch anymore because the other kids always starred at her lunch and give comments like" what is that thing??" or "eeww.. ieverybody starring at her for no reason.

She went to school today? On a Sunday?

[msuji]

we pack lunch before bed for tomorrow. (monday)

[Halcyon~]

Maybe she packs her lunch at night before bed to save time in the morning

[babychacha]

Well after that truly helpful first comment......lets hope you gets some good ideas.

Where do they eat lunch? Is it supervised ...a bit?

Can your DD sit with someone else?

I think raising the issue with her teacher would be a good move. Its that kind of pressure that can lead to eating disorders and self esteem issues.

[paod]

Poor love! What do the other kids take? Not that you should have to but if it gets her eating maybe try taking that to school.I always had a boring Vegemite sandwich, fruit, drink and biscuits lunch- your DD's sounds delicious!

[kadoodle]

I used to cop a rubbishing over a tupperware of olives, sundried tomatoes, capscicum and assorted greens. All the "normal" kids had a vegemite sandwich and bag of chips. They didn't approve of my "wog food". I used to refuse to eat at school, and have my lunch on the walk home. It's sad that kids are still going through this, OP. I wish you better luck than I had in sorting it out.

[Rubymom]

I've been a longtime lurker, this is my first post, but I have to write it because I can identify with your daughter. If you were to ask me, it's not the wholegrain roll or the cheese....it's the salmon. i was sent to school with salmon sandwiches and curried egg sandwiches among others (the smell was just delightful after a few hours in my lunchbox ). All I wanted was to fit in with everyone else eating vegemite sandwiches. I saw a devon sandwich with tomato sauce as a treat!

Never fear though, by the time I reached high school, my 'fancy' sandwiches were coveted by other friends, I even had to make extra so that I could share with my friends who had 'boring vegemite sandwiches' (that I didn't want to eat, hence making more of mine)

Perhaps make a plainer style sandwich, ham instead of salmon or something, and see if that makes it easier for her.

[CottageWitch]

She went to school today? On a Sunday?

What a douche.

[zippeemum]

My DS has had similar comment about his lunches (not that they're all that unusual, just not typical 8yo food I guess). I asked him if HE liked his lunch. He said yes. I asked if his friends had tried his lunch. No, they hadn't. "So, they've never tried it, and they think they don't like it? Sounds pretty silly to me! They don't know what they're missing out on!" etc etc etc Next day he came home and told me when a kid said 'Yuck' to his hommus and carrot sandwich he replied "Ahh, it's pretty dumb to say Yuck if you've never tasted it before...." *insert 'that look' here* Shut the kid up pretty fast!
I hope you and your DD can sort it out, it's pretty sad that such healthy lunches are considered 'gross' by some kids :-(