{"id":634604,"date":"2024-09-07T19:10:01","date_gmt":"2024-09-07T16:10:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/mothers-speak-about-school-lunches\/"},"modified":"2024-09-07T19:10:01","modified_gmt":"2024-09-07T16:10:01","slug":"mothers-speak-about-school-lunches","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/mothers-speak-about-school-lunches\/","title":{"rendered":"#Mothers speak about school lunches"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2fc1d2d8650\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2fc1d2d8650\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/mothers-speak-about-school-lunches\/#Social_factors_affecting_health\" >Social factors affecting health<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/mothers-speak-about-school-lunches\/#Complex_work_to_provide_good_lunch\" >Complex work to provide good lunch<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/mothers-speak-about-school-lunches\/#Emotional_weight_of_meeting_needs\" >Emotional weight of meeting needs<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/mothers-speak-about-school-lunches\/#Meaning_in_daily_acts\" >Meaning in daily acts<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/mothers-speak-about-school-lunches\/#Directions_for_new_school_food_approaches\" >Directions for new school food approaches<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/mothers-speak-about-school-lunches\/#Much_work_involved_in_feeding_children_well\" >Much work involved in feeding children well<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/mothers-speak-about-school-lunches\/#Recognizing_the_labor_of_lunch\" >Recognizing the labor of lunch<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-gallery lightGallery\">\n<div data-thumb=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/tmb\/2024\/so-much-mental-load-mo.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/2024\/so-much-mental-load-mo.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Mothers described the complex physical, mental and emotional work needed to provide a 'good' school lunch. Credit: August de Richelieu\/Pexels\">\n<figure class=\"article-img\">\n            <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800a\/2024\/so-much-mental-load-mo.jpg\" alt=\"'So much mental load': Mothers speak about school lunches\" title=\"Mothers described the complex physical, mental and emotional work needed to provide a 'good' school lunch. Credit: August de Richelieu\/Pexels\" width=\"800\" height=\"530\"\/><figcaption class=\"text-darken text-low-up text-truncate-js text-truncate mt-3\">\n                Mothers described the complex physical, mental and emotional work needed to provide a &#8216;good&#8217; school lunch. Credit: August de Richelieu\/Pexels<br \/>\n            <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Parents of school-aged children have plenty on their plates as they transition back to school routines. For most Canadian families, beyond concerns about school supplies or new experiences, it also means another year of packing lunches\u2014an essential daily task that can feel overwhelming.<\/p>\n<p>                                                                                                                                    Children need reliable access to healthy <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/nu13030911\">food at school<\/a> to fuel learning, growth and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1139\/apnm-2017-0125\">nutrition needs<\/a>. Despite the widely recognized importance of feeding children well on school days, many\u2014including <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/canadianfoodstudies.uwaterloo.ca\/index.php\/cfs\/article\/view\/651\/597\">mothers we interviewed<\/a> for a research study\u2014underestimate the complexity, time, effort and significance of this seemingly mundane <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www150.statcan.gc.ca\/n1\/pub\/89-652-x\/89-652-x2017001-eng.htm\">daily work<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1111\/jhn.12500\">In Canada<\/a>, where fewer than 10% of kids regularly eat school-provided meals, parents, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/0038038508091621\">especially mothers<\/a>, are left to juggle school lunches, often under major pressure.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Social_factors_affecting_health\"><\/span>Social factors affecting health<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>My work with <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/phun.landfood.ubc.ca\/\">The Public Health and Urban Nutrition<\/a> research group at University of British Columbia is concerned with understanding the complex <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">social<\/a> and contextual factors that shape the health of individuals, communities and the environment.<\/p>\n<p>Our team works with community partners, including <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/lfs-jblack.sites.olt.ubc.ca\/files\/2020\/10\/BC-School-Lunch-Program-Full-Report-June-2020.pdf\">public health staff and school districts<\/a>, to understand and improve school food programs.<\/p>\n<p>In a recent study I collaborated on with the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/sociology.ubc.ca\/profile\/sinikka-elliott\/\">late sociologist Sinikka Elliott<\/a>, master&#8217;s student <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/canadianfoodstudies.uwaterloo.ca\/index.php\/cfs\/article\/view\/651\/597\">Seri Niimi-Burch interviewed 14 mothers<\/a> from a suburban British Columbia school district where a new lunch program was available for purchase, although most students still brought a packed lunch.<\/p>\n<p>Ten participants were employed outside the home full- or part-time. Two were looking for work and four reported raising children or keeping house full-time. Twelve participants self-identified as white, one self-identified as Middle Eastern and another as Punjabi. Most described themselves as middle-class, while three self-identified as poor, low-income or working class.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Complex_work_to_provide_good_lunch\"><\/span>Complex work to provide good lunch<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>These mothers taught us about the complex physical, mental and emotional work needed to provide a &#8220;good&#8221; school lunch. This included trying to live up to high expectations related to sending healthy and balanced meals that were also tasty and enjoyed by children.<\/p>\n<p>These mothers spoke about the heavy responsibility for ensuring children are well-fed at school. One mother, aware her parenting may be judged based on her lunch-packing quality, told her son&#8217;s teachers, &#8220;don&#8217;t judge us for the foods we send to school.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Another mom, a teacher herself, reflected on how she judged other parents, saying, &#8220;I think like oh, if I glanced as a teacher and looked in at this lunch kit, would I be thinking like oh, that looks like a healthy lunch or would I be thinking oh my God, what the heck is in there?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The study revealed that mothers often felt scrutinized not only by teachers and other parents, but also by their own children.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Emotional_weight_of_meeting_needs\"><\/span>Emotional weight of meeting needs<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>On one hand, mothers described enormous care and effort required to make lunches. Yet mothers also commonly downplayed their lunch-packing efforts, not wanting to look like they&#8217;d gone overboard, cared too much or were overly controlling.<\/p>\n<p>While mothers developed routines to reduce the mental load of lunch planning, and described some tasks as repetitive and mundane, many detailed the complex planning and math involved in budgeting and buying the right amount and types of food, and the emotional weight of meeting their children&#8217;s needs and preferences.<\/p>\n<p>Mothers&#8217; responses reflected <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/1536504214545755\">societal pressures<\/a> about how women are expected to live up to ideals about good mothering, which often matched up with longstanding gender norms about <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1111\/jomf.12465\">middle-class mothering<\/a>, including wanting their kids to &#8220;eat right&#8221; and being responsible for protecting children from future health risks and obesity.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Meaning_in_daily_acts\"><\/span>Meaning in daily acts<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Despite the strain, mothers also expressed pride and meaning cultivated through these daily caring acts. One mother said, &#8220;being able to know that he&#8217;s going to have something hot in his system at lunch time to keep him warm makes me feel good as a parent.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Another shared: &#8220;I know if I&#8217;m feeding her good things in the day, it makes me feel good.&#8221; Others said packing lunch made them feel connected to their children.<\/p>\n<p>Even when the same parents described how school lunch work is exhausting and stressful, they recognized food work as an important place for connecting with children <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/0038038514559322\">and expressing their love and care<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The emotional, physical and cognitive work described in this research deserves more recognition. Food work, including lunch packing, is often ignored in health and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1111\/soc4.13067\">nutrition research<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s time to actively recognize the value of school lunch work, and better support those who do it\u2014whether it&#8217;s parents, other family members, caregivers or school lunch workers.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Directions_for_new_school_food_approaches\"><\/span>Directions for new school food approaches<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>In light of Canada&#8217;s new <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.canada.ca\/en\/employment-social-development\/programs\/school-food\/reports\/national-policy.html\">national school food policy<\/a>, these findings could have implications as provinces seek to develop school food programs. The policy builds on a $1 billion commitment to create a new National School Food Program.<\/p>\n<p>For parents who are already stretched thin, school-provided meals can reduce the time, money and mental load draining many Canadian families.<\/p>\n<p>Canada ranks poorly compared to other wealthy countries in investments supporting children&#8217;s food and nutrition needs. In 2022, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/proof.utoronto.ca\/food-insecurity\/who-are-most-at-risk-of-household-food-insecurity\/\">one in four children<\/a> lived in a household experiencing food insecurity.<\/p>\n<p>Our previous research found that more than one in 20 Canadian students reported <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1080\/19320248.2021.1984359\">eating no lunch at school<\/a> on a nationwide survey, and students were twice as likely to miss school lunch altogether if they experienced food insecurity.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Much_work_involved_in_feeding_children_well\"><\/span>Much work involved in feeding children well<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>But school food initiatives <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/mitpress.mit.edu\/9780262548113\/transforming-school-food-politics-around-the-world\/\">will need continued support, evaluation<\/a> and investment to reach their full potential.<\/p>\n<p>Part of this will depend on developing programs that acknowledge <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ucpress.edu\/books\/the-labor-of-lunch\/paper\">the labor of connecting kids to food<\/a> and how it matters as part of caring for them.<\/p>\n<p>As Canadian policymakers work towards improving school food programs and better supporting families&#8217; basic needs, we must acknowledge the vital roles of parents and lunch workers\u2014and the complex realities of what it takes to navigate the physical, emotional and cognitive work needed to feed children well.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Recognizing_the_labor_of_lunch\"><\/span>Recognizing the labor of lunch<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Our research finds the daily act of packing lunches is more than a mundane chore. Mothers&#8217; experiences of caring for children&#8217;s food needs were complex and wr<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ed up in notions of what it means to be a &#8220;good&#8221; mom.<\/p>\n<p>Being responsible for providing a &#8220;balanced&#8221; lunch required not only a nutritious meal, but balancing emotional, physical and cognitive work.<\/p>\n<p>Feeding children is a complex and meaningful form of care that fosters connections between caregivers and children and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/open.library.ubc.ca\/soa\/cIRcle\/collections\/facultyresearchandpublications\/52383\/items\/1.0406313\">contributes to<\/a> nutritional and social well-being, and children&#8217;s sense <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.15353\/cfs-rcea.v9i2.544\">of being cared for<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"d-inline-block text-medium my-4\">\n                                                Provided by<br \/>\n                                                                                                    The Conversation<br \/>\n                                                                                                        <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"icon_open\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\"><br \/>\n                                                        <svg>\n                                                            <use href=\"https:\/\/medx.b-cdn.net\/tmpl\/v6\/img\/svg\/sprite.svg#icon_open\" x=\"0\" y=\"0\"\/>\n                                                        <\/svg><br \/>\n                                                    <\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"article-main__note mt-4\">\n                                                This article is republished from <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\">The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/so-much-mental-load-mothers-speak-about-school-lunches-237546\">original article<\/a>.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/counter.theconversation.com\/content\/237546\/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced\" alt=\"The Conversation\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\"\/>\n                                            <\/p>\n<p>                                        <!-- print only --><\/p>\n<div class=\"d-none d-print-block\">\n<p>                                                 <strong>Citation<\/strong>:<br \/>\n                                                 &#8216;So much mental load&#8217;: Mothers speak about school lunches (2024, September 7)<br \/>\n                                                 retrieved 7 September 2024<br \/>\n                                                 from https:\/\/medicalxpress.com\/<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a>\/2024-09-mental-mothers-school-lunches.html<\/p>\n<p>                                            This document is subject to copyright. 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Credit: August de Richelieu\/Pexels Parents of school-aged children have plenty on their plates as they transition back to school routines. For most Canadian families, beyond concerns about school supplies or new experiences, it also means another year of packing&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":634605,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/2024\/so-much-mental-load-mo.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-634604","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sciencee"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/634604","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=634604"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/634604\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/634605"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=634604"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=634604"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=634604"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}