Hot Lunch

As I mentioned in an earlier post, the first month or so of Kindergarten was pretty rough for my son. But by November, I felt like we had turned a corner. He was no longer clinging for dear life when I dropped him off in the morning and he managed to keep the afternoon meltdowns to a minimum. So when his principal walked up to me after school and gently pulled me aside, I felt my stomach sink. Here we go again!

In his concerned voice he said, "I just thought you should know, that your son has been eating lunch alone."

So I think to myself, "Crap!" But I say, "Well, he's kind of introverted, maybe he just needs a little time to himself during the middle of the day." These words are true, but I still feel myself internally freaking at the thought of my son being socially ostracized at the age of six. The principal suggests that I start a dialogue with him and offers me parenting pointers, blah, blah, blah. It's not that I can't appreciate advice, but I get a little defensive when somebody acts like they know more about my kid than I do.

Anyway, I don't bring it up right away, because I know my son needs major decompression time after a day in the trenches. I mention the issue to my husband and his response pretty much mirrors mine, "Crap!". So at dinner I finally ask, "What's the deal with you eating lunch alone?"

His response goes something like this, "Well, I usually sit with these two kids, but they had hot lunch today and there were all these other hot lunch kids..."

I quickly interrupt him and say, "Wait, are you sitting by yourself, because you don't like the smell of the hot lunch?!"

And he says, "Yeah, I don't want to sit by that, it's DISGUSTING! I'll sit with somebody if they have cold lunch, but if they have hot lunch, I'll sit by myself!"

Ahhh, now it all makes sense! The poor kid can barely eat at our dinner table, because his sister's eating habits regularly set off his gag reflex. Why didn't I realize this sooner?

So the next morning, I proudly march up to the principal and explain that my son is not a social reject, he's simply repulsed by the cafeteria offerings.

So yes, my son may be freakishly sensitive, but at least he's confident enough to pull up a chair at his very own table. I'll take that any day of the week!