There's 7 different types of lunchbox parent.

School lunchboxes are a very complex and serious subject.

And depending on where on the spectrum you sit, they are either a fun way to surprise and delight your kids with home-cooked treats and cut-out shapes or the literal bane of your existence.

So just like when we talked about the 7 different types of school parents on a recent episode of This Glorious Mess, we narrowed down all the sub-species of lunchbox parents.

Even before you're a school parent, these archetypes are starting to take shape. You might be packing one for preschool, for swimming lessons, or for a day at the park. Then as the years go on, habits are formed, good intentions are often lost and you'll find yourself landing in one of these categories, whether you meant to or not.

Watch: The 7 different types of lunchbox parents on This Glorious Mess. Post continues below.

Please see below the seven, yes, seven different types of lunchbox parents.

1. The Canteen Connoisseur.

You are the ultimate outsourcer. You have the canteen menu memorised and know which days have the best specials.

Your kids are on a first-name basis with the canteen staff. And you are realistic: you know your strengths, and making lunches isn't one of them.

2. The Meal Prep Maven.

Your Sunday nights are sacred, blocked out in your colour-coded calendar as "Masterchef, the lunchbox edition" 

Your fridge looks like a military operation, with containers meticulously labelled by day and meal of the week.

You very likely own a deep freezer to store your prepped meals, with pre-made ham and butter rolls, quiches, slices and bliss balls.

Batch cooking is your jam.

Image: Supplied.

3. The Pantry Panicker.

Closely related and likely identifies with the 'Hot Mess'. You're in survival mode when it comes to lunch prep. You are the Bear Grylls of school lunches, crafting meals from whatever survives in the pantry's chaotic ecosystem.

Most items that are thrown together are very likely 'packet things'. You're well-intentioned: you really do mean to do the weekly shop. But time just gets away from you.

You consider expiration dates as more of a 'suggestion' than a rule. You've caught yourself thinking 'can I still use this piece of bread if I scrape the mould off?'. And subsequently, your children are resilient, with a strong gut microbiome.

We salute you.

4. The Wholefood Hero.

You somehow manage to effortlessly pack lunchboxes that look like they've come straight from the farmers market, blessed by the Department of Health itself. 

And crunch and sip is not the only fruit or vegetable for the day.  

Every food group is represented in every artisanal and process-free portion of the lunchbox. You are basically nailing this game, and you know it. We accept your humble brag, you've earned it.

Listen: The 7 different types of lunchbox parents on This Glorious Mess. Post continues below.

5. The Love Post-it Poet.

You are the ultimate lunch box romantic — armed with heart-shaped cookie cutters and an endless supply of Post-it notes, most likely heart-shaped.  

Your child's lunch isn't just a meal — it's a daily delivery of motivation, reminders, and pure, unfiltered parental devotion.

Every morning, you meticulously craft messages like "lunch is served with a side of appreciation for you being my child."

6. The Same Sandwich Soldier.

You are the efficiency queen of school lunches. You've cracked the code to avoiding decision fatigue and morning chaos by embracing the mantra: If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

The same sandwich is likely Vegemite and butter, cheese, or devon and tomato sauce.

The 'sameness' extends to recess and crunch and sip. The supermarket shopping list never changes. It's so predictable the deli staff start slicing ham when they see you walking through the door.  

7. The Pinterest Picasso.

Not to be confused with The Wholefoods Hero — because you are more of an artist. The da Vinci of school lunches. You approach each lunch as a canvas that could have fallen from a Pinterest pinboard. 

Your Bento boxes are a perfectly curated rainbow of nutrition — cut into all beautiful shapes.

While other parents are throwing in a squashed sandwich at 8:29 am, you're arranging organic cherry tomatoes in a mandala pattern.

You are the kind of lunchbox parent we all wanted to be, but life had other plans. We salute you Pinterest Picasso's, you don't just raise the bar, you set it. And we would secretly really love it if you could pack our work lunches, please and thank you.

I am in my eighth year of school parenting, and can reveal I am The Pantry Panicker, with rising The Same Sandwich Soldier and Canteen Connoissor Moon.

Which lunch box parent archetype are you? Share below in the comments.

Feature Image: Supplied/Pinterest — Ono_keiki_grindz.