Since the start of the new year, Ceilidh has been reporting tummy aches to her teachers. The school calls, and off I dash to the school to pick up a sick kid. Except she's not sick. There's no fever, no complaints of cramping or nausea - just vague statements of "my tummy hurts, but I don't know how". So, I entertained the mystery tummy aches the first few days. There's no television or playtime. Ceilidh is sent off to bed for a nap. Definitely no special snacks either. I don't want to encourage "this coming home in the middle of the day for a tummy ache" to become routine.
After the fourth call from the school to pick up a perfectly healthy child, I had a chat with the teacher. Perhaps Ceilidh was having problems with classmates? Or was she in trouble? No, nothing out of the ordinary according to the teacher. Daddy and I sat down with Ceilidh at separate times to figure out if there was anything was bothering her. Was she jealous of the newest sibling? No. Was she not getting along with her best friends? No. Was someone making fun of her at school? No.
Then her tummy aches subsided. So, we pushed that latest stress off to the side.
Now the phantom aches have started again. When I questioned her what type of pain she was experiencing, Ceilidh was again vague. But this time, she stated she didn't want to be picked up from school. So I left her at school.
I think I now know what caused the mystery tummy aches - her lunch. I have noticed that for several days, her lunch box is coming back almost as full as it was sent. Apparently, the teacher was able to learn from Ceilidh that she didn't like butter on her sandwich, and that Daddy had packed a ham sandwich AGAIN, and she doesn't like ham. Actually, it was turkey today, and she had eaten the meat but left the bread intact. And since when doesn't she like butter on her bread? What would she like in her lunch then, I asked. Her answer was simple - pizza.
When her daddy discovered the reason for the tummy aches, he claimed he was insulted as he had put a lot of love and thought into packing those lunches. Well, now he knows how I feel on any given night when the nutritious, well-balanced meal I thoughtfully and lovingly prepared gets met with turned up noses.
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