Every morning, I write a message on each child’s napkin in his or her lunchbox. I figure, they don’t use them anyhow; I might as well put them to good use. I know. I know. A good, earth-conscious mommy would send a reusable cloth napkin (But, I do reuse. I put child A’s clean, unused napkin into child B’s lunchbox the following day). I figure that’s good enough for right now.

Sometimes I write a joke. Other times, I’ll share an inspirational message. I might include a puzzle. Or, I also like to draw pictures. One morning, I wrote: “If life gives you lemons, make lemonade”. My eight-year old son came into my room upset (good thing he read the napkin before he left for school). He hates lemonade, and the quote made no sense to him at all!

So, I changed the quote to: “If life gives you ice, wait a few minutes for it to melt”. You see, my son also does not like ice. He is a no ice, no lid, no straw guy when he orders water in a restaurant. He liked that quote much better.

My seven-year old daughter was inspired by that series of quotes. When I took my lunch out at work that day, I saw that she had written me an inspirational message. “When life gives you Ellie”, she wrote, “Kiss her”. I still melt from that one.

Here are a few simple ideas for messaging your child’s napkin.

Jokes
When picking out a joke, select one that your child will be able to read, appreciate, and understand. He will enjoy sharing these with his friends.

Why did the chicken cross the playground?
To get to the other slide.

What gets wetter the more it dries?
A towel.

Why was 6 afraid of 7?
Because 7, 8, 9.

What do they call a sleeping dinosaur?
A dino-snore

Quotes
I love sharing quotes on my children’s napkins. I try to pick quotes that are relevant to what’s going on in their lives. If there is a big test, a sports game, or a book they are reading – I try to relate. Most often, I just try to pump them up.

“Your day will go the way the corners of your mouth turn.”

“Do good things.”

“Kindness is a language that the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” (Mark Twain)

“Sharing is good because it makes everyone happy.”

Pictures
Drawing pictures on your child’s napkin will make her smile! A simple drawing with a simple sentence will have a big impact.

Musical notes with a message stating “you rock” or “you make me sing” will bring delight.

“You rule” with a picture of a ruler gets a laugh and a warm fuzzy.

“Guess whoooo loves you” with a picture of – guess what? Yep! An owl - is one of my favorites.

Sometimes a simple “I love you” does the trick. Or a smiley face. Or a heart.

My children look forward to their lunchtime napkins, and they also look forward to putting a napkin in my lunchbox when I go to work. I simply love the opportunity to spread a little more love, to share uplifting thoughts, and to remind my children that I am thinking of them even when I am not with them.

Have fun creating your napkin messages!