sandwiches

Okay.  I want to weigh in on the recent news about a cafeteria woman being fired after she fed lunches to kids who didn't have money for lunch.   (I didn't read extensively.... so I'm just going off of one article.)

I tried to explain my position to my mom earlier today... and failed drastically.   So let me see if I can clarify.  Forgive me if I still don't make any sense.

To my understanding, the school policy, in that particular school is that if kids don't qualify for free or reduced lunch, and if they don't have lunch money.... the school provides them with a cheese sandwich and milk.  
The cafeteria worker had deemed that this was not sufficient, and proceeded to serve the full lunch to "crying" kids.

I'm all for kids eating. Especially crying kids.  Really I am.   But I'm also a fan of policies that help prevent people from taking advantage of the system.

My family does not qualify for the free or reduced lunch program.
 I send check after check to school each month for my kids to put in their "lunch accounts".   My kids seem to peel through this money... and I haven't been a real stickler this year to see how many 'extras' they are buying..... like special drinks or desserts.
I'm a parent who gets reminder emails when their accounts get low.   The emails usually show up when their balances are 8 or 9 dollars.
I will admit that I have been slack about reading the emails these past few weeks.  I figured that the kids would remind me when they got a verbal warning from the lunch lady.

It just so happened that earlier this week Lucas came home and said that his account was empty.    He proceeded to tell me that he had to give back the full lunch and was given..... surprise!...... a cheese sandwich and a cup for water.
 It was no surprise to him.....No money = No lunch.    He was fine.
I was thankful that they fed him!  Seriously.   I had forgotten to send money, and yet they still provided food.... Free of charge!

I've never witnessed any child die of starvation after eating cheese and bread for lunch.  I'm thankful that he lived to tell me about it.

Call me heartless.   But I am glad that there are policies in place to remind parents, like myself, to send in the dang lunch money!
If the polices of cheese sandwiches didn't exist.... why in the world would any of us, that are able, EVER send in money?  What would be the point to be responsible for feeding our own kids?   It would be free lunch for everyone, all of the time.   (Which wouldn't be so bad, eh?)

I have a feeling that the fired lunch lady wasn't fired on one account of feeding kids.  I have a feeling that she probably fed the same kids over and over.   Which reinforced to the slacker parents that they didn't need to pay.
See the cycle?

A cheese sandwich would have sufficed.
 It's much more than other kids, all over the planet, get for lunch.
Our American entitlement irks me.     And I fear that we are raising a generation of entitled kids.

I think we could all have a lesson in gratitude.... for our country, our resources, and plans in place that provide food to kids.   Even cheese sandwiches.

I would love to see  more kids, including mine say, "thanks for the sandwich."