Most of you are probably familiar with the term “hangry”. It’s when hunger strikes and food isn’t readily available resulting in a physical/emotional state combining both hunger and anger which is way worse than either emotion alone.

It can cause tantrums even in adults (ask my husband) and it’s a state most parents know ALL TOO WELL.

Harlow is most hangry in the morning. She wakes up ready to eat at 6am and needs Mike or I to get the hell out of bed and fix her breakfast immediately. “I want waffles!” “Where’s my cereal????” “GIVE ME TOAST!!!!!!!” It’s like a scene from Braveheart. “You can take my nap time but you can never take MY BREAD PRODUCTS!!!!”

Mazzy is the most hangry in the afternoon. She wants a huge selection of snacks to pick and choose from the second I pick her up from school. “What do you have for me to eat?” is usually the first words out of her mouth when she sees me. Not “hi”or “Good to see you, Mom!” but— “I WANT A SNACK! WHAT DO YOU HAVE IN YOUR BAG????”

Mazzy doesn’t just want to know if I have snacks. She wants to know what kind of snacks. Is this a day I thought ahead and came prepared with healthy snacks from home? Or is this a day I realized I had nothing and picked up a chocolate chip cookie at the coffee shop on the way over? Or WORSE— did I remember to bring anything at all????

Sadly, I have been that empty-handed parent who has to rationalize with a hangry 5yo while all the other kids are happily munching on fruit snacks, chips and granola bars. This is when I wish I lived in the suburbs so that my parenting fails could just be between me and Mazzy in our car and not between me and every fellow parent on the city bus.

“WHY DIDN’T YOU BRING ANYTHING????”

I scrounge around the bottom of my bag on the off chance I find a loose raisin. I locate a cracker crumb and a peanut and offer it up. It’s like trying to placate a starving lion with a blade of grass.

“THAT’S IT????????”

“Sorry, sweetie. We’ll be home in 15 minutes. You can get a snack then.”

“15 MINUTES?! THAT WILL TAKE FOREVER!!!!!”

Empty-handed moments are not my most proud. I want to tell Mazzy to calm down and be patient but I know it’s me who screwed up.

Hangry Mike is probably my least favorite person on the planet. Because he’s a grown adult and should really keep his hangriness in check. Unfortunately for me, I never realize hangriness is the cause of his irritability until he takes a bite of a sandwich and immediately turns back into the normal level-headed man I married.

“Ohhhhh…. so you aren’t really super pissed about my computer being on the kitchen counter— it’s just ten minutes past your normal dinner time.”

I get hangry around lunch time at my office. I usually get caught up in whatever I am doing for work and then skip lunch without realizing it and then try to satisfy myself with snacks.

In those instances, I want something healthy, hearty and tasty. If I grab chips or candy, I feel like crap because it’s not satisfying, I eat more than necessary and end up eating twice the fat and calories of a normal meal.

A few months ago, I started the NatureBox snack delivery service which has been great at managing my family’s hangry moments, including my own. It’s nice to have an exciting selection of snacks readily available that are delicious, filling and contain no artificial ingredients.

NaturBox has over 100 bold, satisfying choices (from Honey Macadamia Pretzel Pops to Roasted Peruvian Corn Kernels) delivered right to your door.

They add new snacks every month so there’s always something new to discover. They also have different membership plans to accommodate people looking for in-office snacks and parents looking to feed a family on-the-go.

Or a little bit of both, like me.

I promise, if you visit NatureBox.com to check out the snacks, you will not be disappointed. It’s like looking through the pantry of your foodie friend that always has the latest and greatest options.

You can sort by flavor, ingredient, or nutrition preference and see a whole new world of snack options waiting to send directly to your doorstep.

I also find it helpful for families with different taste profiles. Instead of everyone agreeing on one big bag of chips, we’ve got a myriad of options— some that Mazzy likes better (like strawberry lemonade fruit stars) and some Harlow prefers (like the Mini Belgian Waffles).

Harlow actually ran off with the Mini Belgian Waffles and refused to share them with anybody.

I like how my girls can look through the box each month and easily distinguish between a Harlow snack and a Mazzy snack.

Or they’ll find a bag of Sriracha Cashew Crunch and say, “DAD! YOU’LL LOVE THESE!”

Just post a photo of your hangry kids and caption it like how I do on @averageparentproblems. “When it takes an hour for your brunch to arrive,” “When she was in the mood for grapes but you handed her an apple, ” When you forget to bring an after-school snack”.

Photo: @karakaraboo

Photo: @ccredfish

Photo: @tinygourmet

Post your pics on the Mommy Shorts Facebook page or on Instagram with hashtag #hangrykidproblems, making sure to follow both @averageparentproblems and @naturebox to win.

I’m going to post my favorites and pick a winner on September 18th.

You can read the full rules here.

Hopefully, that NatureBox membership will help you keep your kid’s hangry moments in check.

Or at least give you something to munch on that’s crunchy enough to drown out the screams.

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This post was sponsored by NatureBox but all hangry snackers are my own.