Last Bento...Conformity in Preschool

I knew this day would come, but I honestly thought Miss A would one day be too old for fun lunches, and tell me she was too old. I did NOT however think conformity would be the reason Miss A would want to stop. I call my adorable fabulous daughter Miss A because she is sometimes so much more mature then I am. But Miss A is really Alexa, a 5 year old preschool little girl, who is so imaginative, caring, loving, and more motherly then I honestly will ever be. She is just a baby in so many ways. Yet sadly these bento's have made her deal with a grown up issue at the ripe young age of 5.

This morning, Alexa was twirling her butterfly cookie cutter that she wanted to use for her lunch. She looked at me and told me that she just wanted "regular food" for lunch. I told her that was ok. I asked her why, and she said that it just wasn't fair. "Other moms are very busy and don't have time to make lunches. My friends go home and ask for lunches like hers and their mommies just have other important things to do. " My heart sank...somewhere somehow from someone she heard these words and something she loved and enjoyed became a bad thing, just because it was different. One of the moms asked me one time "why". I stumbled on my answer and was more shocked then anything else. My beautiful niece answered that for me she said, "imagination, creativity, quality time with a parent, a taste for new foods, and the ability to think outside the 'lunch' box."

I would normally just carry on to prove a point, but this is not something that Alexa should have to face at such a small age. A little of her "sparkle" was taken away, but one day on her own terms in her own way she will learn that being different is beautiful and what life is really all about. But at the age of 5 I just want her to be happy. So today is our last bento and I will continue to let her know that her decision is perfectly fine.

Is it sad that I am crying over this?

I to had a little "sparkle" taken away from me. But I will just find other ways to show Alexa how to express her imagination, creativity, and get that sparkle back.