The Fake Good Parent

I'm a participant in an online survey company. Occasionally I get a survey or 2 in my email that I have so much time to fill out, and when I do, I get paid $3. It's really not bad, sometimes it's kind of lame, cause I am such a 'non-girly' woman that I don't enjoy the surveys about make up or hair care products, and, unfortunately, they can be some of the longest ones. Nevertheless, I push on through and get em done!

Many times, because I have children that fall into a certain age category, I get surveys about snack foods, and processed-package foods. And I have to answer truthfully, or else the survey is worthless.

This morning I got a survey request that was about lunch meat. More specifically 'Lunchables'. Lunchables have never been something I have bought- EVER. For myself, for my children. Why would I? Let's see... buy a package of American cheese, buy a package of lunch meat, buy a box of Ritz crackers. A few slices with a knife and a reusable plastic box with a lid later you've got the same dang thing, and didn't spend almost $3 on ONE meal of cheese and crackers.

Maybe I'm just cheap, but I simply can not buy into these little overpriced, one time use lunches.

So as I fill out this, and many past surveys similar to it, I always wonder- who tries to be the fake good parent? Are there people out there that would lie on these things to make themselves feel better about their parenting choices? And it could really go either way. Do you feel better about yourself as a parent because you DO buy these things to send with your child to school or the park or on a field trip? Or do you feel WORSE about yourself as a parent because you do? And because of those feelings, how honestly would you answer the survey? Would you be the fake good parent?