Good vs. Evil

This is an age old struggle – Good vs. Evil. It’s all around us with the war in Iraq and today’s bombing in Pakistan.

I never expected it would emerge as: PB&J or a hot dog for Big Boy’s lunch.

There I was, with my hand on the fresh, new package of Ball Park Franks in the deli drawer, and I pulled it away. Oh, bad! Evil! I thought, I can’t send that in my kid’s lunch. What will our day care provider think? That’s bad food.

I know, I know, I’m a grown woman. Who cares what others think. And I know my day care provider wouldn’t care. Kids eat hot dogs. It’s not going to kill him. And I know there are far worse things I can do to my kid than feed him a hot dog.

But the Good vs. Evil debate played out in my brain. Must be that Catholic upbringing.

The “Good” voice says: Feed the kids a healthy well balanced diet, one that doesn’t include potassium lactate and partially hydrolyzed beef stock. Yuck! What is that anyway?

The “Evil” voice says: Just throw in the hot dog. So much faster and I’ll be done with lunches 3 minutes sooner. (Hey, for a mom, three extra minutes equals a couple quick articles in a girly magazine or a short chapter of chick-lit!)

So for a couple seconds I pondered it back and forth…

Big Boy got PB&J on wheat.

And I didn’t learn the latest trend in fashion or how to have fabulous abs with just 10 minutes a day.

Hey, I told you I was raised Catholic.