The Most Hilarious Packed Lunch Fails Ever

Scary Mommy, the internet's seminal "mommy blog" for mothers who are proud to be less than absolutely perfect, recently published a hilarious mommy fail that is scary in its relatability. As the title says, "Mom Accidentally Sends Her 5-Year Old to School with Vodka." The smug among you might think, "Oh please, that could never happen to me..." But oh yes, it could!

The story goes, when the mother and daughter pair were getting ready to head to school, the mom told her five-year-old to "put a frozen juice pouch in her lunchbox," which the girl obediently did. What neither realized was that there were two types of fruit drink pouches tucked into the freezer — one innocuous, and one alcoholic. Nobody realized the mistake until the mom got a call from the teacher that her daughter's lunch contained a Smirnoff Vodka frozen raspberry cocktail.

If it happened to this mom, similar things have definitely happened to others. So, inspired by this funny mishap, I bring you a collection of the most hilarious packed lunch fails ever (on the internet).

Twitter user, @Viv_Christie shared this packed lunch fail with the caption, "That moment when you realize you WON'T be having tuna with your salad..."

I see the problem. You grab the can from the dark hole that is your pantry and even if you see the kitty on the can (instead of a fish) you think "Cats love tuna, I love tuna!" Makes sense, right? Sadly, it's not even tuna-flavored cat food. So no matter how hungry you were, you couldn't just close your eyes and pretend (yuck).

You may recognize the idea of transporting a spaghetti meal in a shapeless ziplock bag from the movie Elf, but the banana is a new flourish! One reddit user shared an image of his delicious-looking bagged spaghetti lunch complete with an unpeeled banana mixed in.

You don't want to miss your five servings per day of fruits and veggies, right? I wonder how one eats this "sack lunch." Hands? Dip the banana into the tomato sauce? Open the bag up wide and slurp out of it like a trough? The possibilities are endless!

You can totally picture Ben Stiller as Derek Zoolander reacting to this sweet but small lunch a seven-year-old boy packed for himself on his birthday, can't you? ("What is this, a lunch for ants?")

Mom, Lily Wen, took to Twitter to share this picture of her son's lunch box, after he was allowed to prep it himself. The birthday boy chose a single Milky Way mini candy, and what looks to be one of those nasty little sugar-free lime lollypops to tuck carefully into his lunchbox. There is something so sweet about the thought of this being that little guy's favorite meal!

Two offensive looking and greasy plain sausages, 14 cold and coagulated oven crinkle fries, and a packet of mustard. This cringe-worthy plastic sack lunch was shared with the hilarious commentary, "When bae mad at you but still packs you a lunch."

One of my favorite funny Instagram accounts, @CookingforBae, features tongue in cheek reposts of the grossest, most depressing, vom-inducing, hilariously bad, or WTF food pics that people share of their questionable cooking skills. All this, with hashtags like #struggleplate #cookingforbae, or my personal favorite, #struggleslice, which is when the chef in question has simply melted a slice of American cheese on top of something (usually a nasty plate of otherwise plain noodles), and, in a surprising lack of self-awareness, deems their sad efforts share-worthy.

I have definitely accidentally forgotten to remove the wax paper dividers that come between pre-cut cheddar cheese slices while making a sandwich. (Pro-tip: try leaving it on while making cheeseburgers on the grill!) But would you even be able to tell the difference with these so-called "American cheese" singles? Plastic is plastic, right? No matter how much artificial cheese flavoring you add to it.

While a can of soup is a totally acceptable (if modest) packed lunch, this former Obama campaign staffer tweeted this picture of a pretty sad looking can of plain beans he accidentally packed instead of his intended bowl of tasty Progresso soup. What can I say, @RaySullivan, at least it's a vegan meal?

Remember the hybrid energy (read caffeine) and sickeningly sweet malt liquor beverage that was famously banned in much of the U.S. after several teens died from drinking too much? That's right, it's called Four Loko, and a reformulated recipe is now available on store shelves, the LA Times reported.

In another sweetly comical case of moms "accidentally" giving their underage kids alcoholic drinks to take to school, Twitter erupted with laughter when teenage user, @KenizeeStrangee, posted a picture of the Four Loko her mom put in her school lunch, along with their hilarious text exchange about it. Apparently, the drink belonged to her older brother, and her mom had thought it was a can of iced tea, as Buzzfeed reported.

What is it about kids accidentally getting alcohol that is so damn funny? Maybe it's the taboo, forbidden nature of the suggestion? Either way, this parent gets it: reddit user, Micklikesmonkeys shared this photo of a slim, metal flask tucked neatly into their son's lunchbox, right next to the otherwise healthy sandwich, fruit, broccoli spears, raisins, crackers, and nuts.

The juxtaposition of all the trappings of a well-balanced, healthful meal, along with the forbidden flask just cracks me up. And don't worry, concerned readers! As the original poster commented, the family was simply "out of juice boxes, so [they] improvised."

I can't be the only one LOL-ing about this picture a reddit user shared of his noontime sandwich. Don't worry, concerned mothers of the world, this hilarious photo was shared with the caption, "I'll remember the 'please' next time I ask my girlfriend to make me lunch..." so no children were harmed by the making of this snarky sandwich to-go.

This one is just too good to be real. But setup or no, reddit users were LOLing when Canadian user, "BOBBYGBABY," posted this image of what, according to him, is "how REAL Canadians make a packed lunch." If he is to be believed, then next time you've got a hankering for a raw package of bacon and bottle of Molson — on the go — then get thee to Toronto!

Dad blogger, @DadandBuried, shared this tip for how to deal with a picky lunch eater on his Twitter account, "Today's lunch is a collection of all the sandwich crusts my son hasn't eaten over the past two weeks." While this crusty idea may a tad unhealthy (and unpalatable), it's definitely funny.

Packing a lunch every day can feel like a thankless chore. Whether it's for yourself or a loved one — or maybe even if you're on the receiving end of a home-packed meal (lucky!) — it's good to see the humor in our occasional culinary missteps.

And remember, no matter how much your crazy lunch might make you laugh (or cry), at least you have one! So grab a fork, or maybe just your hands, dig in, and remember to keep your sense of humor.