The Japanese have introduced
a technological “advance” with the invention
of the Lunchbox Communicator, a modified “Bento Box”
which includes a video camera and screen, embedded in the
box’s lid. The idea here is that the child can watch
Mom preparing his/her lunch, just before digging in, and
Mom can in return watch Junior eating it. As riveting as
video footage of lunch making can be – quite surprised
there isn’t a reality show called “Extreme Lunch
Boxes” – and as appealing as it is to watch
a child eat lunch, it begs the question: Why? Why? Why?
Making the decision as to what you will
eat out of your school lunch is a major part of learning
and growing as a child. Do you go for the apple Mom packed,
or try to trade it for your best friend’s cupcake?
Is that homemade chocolate chip cookie really worth two
fruit roll ups? It’s sort of like a food version of
“Let’s Make a Deal”, and the bartering
and bargaining learned here can build a foundation for negotiating
skills most kids will require later on in life (particularly
if they become parents themselves). And with most schools
now having supervisors watching for kids throwing out healthy
food, trying to sneak it into a garbage can is a risky option
compared to the good old trade.
But with every move being monitored by
the video camera’s watchful eye, these poor children
will likely be forced to eat what their Mama gave ‘em…and
where’s the fun in that?
On the other side of the lens, I’m
not sure why there’s thinking that kids would want
to watch their parents prepare their lunches. Kids don’t
want to watch their mothers do anything; particularly something
as pedestrian as providing them with a basic life necessity.
Do the manufacturers really think that the kids will appreciate
the effort that Mom (or Dad) has put into the preparation
of this meal? If anything, they’re more likely to
be turned off when they realize that there are “raw”
ingredients that go into making a sandwich, salad, or cooked
entrée. “There’s cheese in my macaroni?
I never knew that. You know I hate cheese Mom.” No,
I think this new innovation has disaster written all over
it. I don’t know about you, but watching my children
eat breakfast and dinner at home is enough “food bonding”
time for me. Also, I’m not entirely convinced my children
wouldn’t capture an inappropriate body part on the
camera, just for my viewing pleasure.
I mean, what’s next? Do we want
to have two way video cameras on our children for other
moments during their school day? Not sure I need to see
how uncoordinated they are at gym, or that the pencil they
use for homework is also an effective scratching implement
for places that scratching shouldn’t be done in public.
Let’s leave some things in the realm of the unknown,
and unwatched, shall we?
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