I couldn’t be happier! Finish the Sentence Friday is back up and running. Today’s kick off starter is
“When I was little I really believed…”
Oh man, this one was a no brainer. The ending popped into my head in a flash.
“… I’d be letting my kids eat whatever, whenever.”
Yes. When I was little I really believed I’d be letting my kids eat whatever, whenever.
This belief starts when I’m about five. I’m starving and we won’t be having supper for about at least an hour. For the past while all I’ve been able to think about is the chocolaty goodness wafting out of the kitchen. Mom has a Betty Crocker batch of brownies baking. Wow. Imagine my delight when I hear the oven timer pinging, announcing to the world (I’m five remember) that the brownies are ready. Done. Baked. Ready to eat.
I fly into the kitchen. Mom’s just placed the square glass container onto the counter. Perfection. The centre is gently caved in while the edges are nice and dark and crispy.
Knowing I mustn’t touch them until they cool down a titch (ten minutes, maybe fifteen?) I push a chair to the counter and scramble up, reaching for a glass from the cupboard. Clutching it, I scoot over to the fridge for the milk carton. Nothing tastes better with brownies than a nice glass of cold milk. My salivary glands are working overtime.
“Mommy, can you pour me a glass of milk please?” I call out sweetly. I’m no fool. I know she would be hopping mad if I slopped milk all over her clean floor.
“Of course. Aren’t you a good girl to ask for milk.”
I couldn’t be happier. Nestling into the warmth of the kitchen nook I prepare to wait out the remaining six minutes. Or ten. Who knows? I’m five.
I reach out with my right index finger and gently touch the side of the pan. It’s still warm. Ok it’s hot. Doesn’t matter. Brownies fresh from the oven are delicious at any temperature. I grab the nearest utensil; a teaspoon as luck would have it. Just as I dip the tip into the cloudy surface of the sunken centre Mom spins around.
“What do you think you’re doing young lady?”
One look at her shocked face and I know she’s forgotten all about the positive milk request.
“I thought I’d try the …”
“Absolutely not! They are for dessert. You’ll ruin your appetite. If you’re hungry you can have an apple. ”
An apple? Excuse me. An apple? Who wants a stupid old apple? I drop the spoon and slink to the floor in a puddle of tears.
“Kelly, don’t be ridiculous. That behaviour will not get you a brownie. Go to your room until I call you down for supper. NOW.”
The one thought on my mind as I stomp up the stairs to my room?
Here’s to letting kids eat whatever!
Mine will have chocolate cake for breakfast, chocolate bars for lunch and butterscotch pudding for dessert. Each and every day. Whenever they want. And they won’t be eating apples.
Fast forward two decades or six.
“Mom, I got popcorn at Danny’s after school today and it was yellow! It looked and tasted nothing like our popcorn. Can you make yellow popcorn for us sometime? I loved it.”
Bless him. For the past five years my son has loved the airpopped butterless popcorn I always make.
His sister chimes in with her own two bits worth.
“I know! And why do we always have fruit for dessert?”
“Why can’t we have pie or cheesecake? Or both?”
“Because it’s my job to ensure that you are the healthiest you can be. That’s why. Who wants an apple?”
Oh my how our perspective changes once we become parents.
Thanks so much to our lovely hosts Kristi Campbell at http://www.findingninee.com and Stephanie Sprenger at http://
50 Responses
So true! And it is horrifying when it happens. You’re good – I’ve usually taken the lazy way out on the popcorn. But I did recently read a horrifying article about microwave popcorn, that got me to order a stove-top popper. Of course, now we rarely have popcorn because of the effort it takes. But the good intentions are there!
Here’s to good intentions Allie! You ordered it! I really like the looks of the LL Bean number that I think is a stove-top popper. Always meant to get one of those.
Funny how we can end up with the rules we hated. In some ways am probably fussier about what I let my kids eat than my mum was, though in other ways less so.
The funny thing was my mom admittedly hated to cook. Still does. I have to encourage her to eat well now. Say, there’s the beginning of a potential upcoming post. Thanks Yvonne.
HaHa – so funny!!! I can’t remember thinking that I would let my kids eat anything but I did tell my younger self that I would never make them sit at the table until they finished every single green pea. (actually I refuse to even buy or serve those nasty things now!!!)
Good on you. It’s liver for me. Looking back I should have just gobbled it down. It would have been so much better hot than cold. Like eating a belt. Yuck.
Not to be a fly in your soup, but I kind of let my kids have glorious moments in eating. Yes I do think about health and nutrition, but many times I find myself making Chef Boy R Dee for dinner just because of money or time. Then I figure, as unhealthy as that crap is, I might as well let them have ice cream instead. I remember my mother-in-law flipped out on me because I gave my daughter a chocolate milkshake at like 10:30 AM, long after we had breakfast. Anyway, I think what happened is that when I moved out of my parents’ house, I did eat whatever I wanted. Part of me grew a fascination for fast food. I’m actually more of an addict. It was all those college mornings hungover did I crave a cheeseburger. But on the flip side, I dated a lot, and men usually took me to nice places where you can cut your filet mignon with a fork, and because of that, I also grew an appetite for more chef-like foods which tend to be healthier. Now that I have kids, I can’t change my ways. I can’t make them eat the opposite of what I eat. Mad kudos for you not for making your kids eat healthy as much as for changing your own lifestyle to eat healthy. That’s not an easy task.
Oh Michelle my halo slipped long ago. It was so much easier to shovel in the healthy stuff when my guys were little. Then they got older. “Look MOM! Hallowe’en juice in April!” This famous line was uttered by my son upon spying 2 litre bottles of Orange Crush in Safeway. I’d long told ’em it was only available in October. Oops. Just one of many, many wake up calls for my kids. Bad mommy. Loved your hangover cheeseburger mention. Mine was KD and an Oh Henry bar. Just last week I was eating lunch with my 20 yr old daughter in a building that used to house the grocery store that sold me the KD and Oh Henry. Shared that info with her and we had a good giggle.
Um, sometimes I let my son have Doritos and a cookie after breakfast. I know – terrible, and it’s not all the time at all and it’s always after he’s eaten fruit and eggs and whole wheat but still – I know! Awful of me! I love the three boxes of apples on your floor (and am very lucky that my son loves apples so much). Great post, Kelly!
Ah but he’s eaten his breakfast though Kristi so that’s perfect. Fruit, eggs and whole wheat? You’ve got nothing to worry about! Am very impressed. My two would get one item on offer – usually eggs or cereal. Of course the one time they got a yummy, delicous sticky bun my son’s teacher asked him “What did you have for breakfast?” I was there. And the horrified look on her face when he said “STICKY BUN!” was more than worth it.
One of the many things I screwed up on as a parent was that I indulged my children’s picky eating habits. As a result, they had a very limited diet. Fortunately they both grew up to become foodies who will try just about anything and strive for healthy eating. And now that one has children of his own and the other has a child on the way, I’m happy to say that they are much more on top of things with this next generation!
Now that’s huge Mo. We need to realize that our kids can change despite our mistakes! Love that they are both foodies who will try just about everything. How exciting to have a new grandbaby on the way too! One more to spoil. My mom and dad used to fire treats at my two all the time. But then again my dad used to give animal crackers to his dog … but that’s another post for another time.
I loved this, Kelly!
Honestly when I read your first line, I knew that your kids will be darn opposite or what you actually desired as a kid 😉
Here’s to healthy eating…cheers!
Thanks Ruchira. Yes here’s to healthy eating indeed! Just had a huge ice-cream cone but we needn’t tell anyone, need we?
I do keep goodies around that I never had. I grew up in a super healthy, no sugar household. I think in a way that made me worse. But I do “how” to be healthy and keep fruit, and nuts around. But you’ll always find a cookie, cake or ice cream in the Johnson household. HOWEVER, there will be no spoiling of the appetites 😉
I’ll be right over. Sounds delicious Kenya!
Yes! And oh boy do I have food battles with my five-year-old every day or what! I have a terrible sweet tooth and I actually still feel that one of the most exciting things about being a “grownup” is the ability to fetch my own dessert, whenever I feel like it 😀 Healthy, I know.
Your being a “grownup” comment is so true Katia. It reminded me of our recent trip up the coast to visit my mother-in-law. She lives near the cabin we had when I was little and as I drove off the ferry this past week I said to my kids “My dad or my mom should be driving right now. This feel weird. I’m the adult now. How did that happen?”
Oh and when I grew up I thought I would eat whatever whenever. Yeah Mum I am going to have Coco Pops for breakfast everday and MCDonalds for dinner. Yeah!!!!!!
Needless to say when I did grow up I crave the home cooked meal only my Mum can make.
Love this Karen. Yes to Coco Pops! My mom is the first to admit that she doesn’t cook well – so I don’t really crave her cooked meals. I do miss my grandmother’s meals though. No one could beat her Sunday night dinners!
That is hilarious, especially the amount of apples that you actually have in your house after telling that story! Pick an apple, any apple! We are a mixed bag around here. We all love dessert (the bad kind), but we also try and include veggies in most meals if possible.
Great story, as always.
Oh I love your “pick an apple, any apple!” line. The apple photo is of the apples my Uncle delivers to us every Sept. Thanks for popping by and commenting Amy.
For the most part I made sure my kids had nutritious breakfasts (and lunches, and dinners, but that’s another story…). However, I think that makes the occasional ‘dessert breakfast’ a treat. I have to admit I’d indulge occasionally, too.
I’m with you – those occasional “dessert breakfasts” are a treat. Ok if I pop by your place tomorrow morning?
Sure, if you’re bringing chocolate cake….
With thick icing!
Yay, you’re back!! Another great post that made me smile (I still break into giggles at inappropriate times when I remember your story about fish fertilizer in your car!). And kudos to you for working so hard to instill good eating habits in your kids! That’s a big theme in my life, and I really like to read about how Moms help their kids eat right.
Oh you made me smile with your fish fertilizer comment. That was really quite the car ride. Still can’t bring myself to buy the stuff even though folks swear it makes tomatoes bigger than big. Reminds me of yesterday too. My son’s luggage didn’t make the flight so we had to go to the baggage claim area. Anywho, there were about 20 bags lined up waiting for their owners and I suddenly noticed this extremely strong fish odour hovering over them. Somebody must have packed fish to bring home from the west coast. And then their bag went missing …
My favorite awful childhood food memory is the year my mother decided she wanted a set of bowls/cups/mugs/who-knows-what-else offered by the local dairy filled with cottage cheese. We had cottage cheese for lunch every day for what seemed like 17 years straight. While I swore I’d never eat it again, I’m now a big fan. And I found those very same bowls in a resale shop the other week. I was tempted to buy them so I could have my cottage cheese “old style.” 🙂
Oh man. That’s a lot of cottage cheese! Smiling here Deborah. So funny that you are happy to eat it again. Bet you never thought you’d ever eat another mouthful. Ever. And yes go back and get the bowls!
Growing up, whenever I complained about something, my parents told me to put it on my “24 List”. I was told that when one turned 24, they would everything their heart desired. I was going to have Crystal Gale hair, 2 cats and a bedroom decorated with unicorns. I was never going to eat disgusting food like short ribs. With my very curly hair, the ‘do was out, I was allergic to cats and unicorns weren’t really a thing in the mid to late 90s. But I haven’t eaten short ribs since. SO THERE, MOM!!!
How do you store boxes of apples? I think I need boxes like that, much better than short ribs …
Oh how I love the idea of the “24 List” Christie. So clever. Smiling over the concept of you with Crystal Gale hair – such a shame your curly hair isn’t conducive … As for storing the boxes of apples – these are the ones we get each Sept from my uncle. My job is to dispense them throughout the family. I keep my portion in the fridge – have to be careful when I open it that 50 or so don’t roll out onto the floor …
My oldest niece was such a fussy eater when she was growing up that it was considered a triumph when she ate at dinner at all, let alone healthy things. One time at the county fair she asked if she could have a mini-donut, and knowing her habits said sure, figuring it couldn’t hurt. She cleaned out half my bag! (Without asking if she could have more.)
My younger nieces have rather stricter parents, who try to only have the healthier foods in their house. Candy is always top of their list for things to have at their birthdays at the grandparents’ house. It also took some doing to teach them not to assume that any soda pop at Grandpa’s house was for their consumption. (Uncle Scott bought that exotic soda to share with everyone, not just two little greedyguts!)
Oh the concept of “limits” is often a hard one to learn isn’t it? I’m still struggling sometimes…
Oh, now my non-existent kidss would be happy that I am not a parent, because at 28, I not only think that I should be able to eat whatever, whenever, but I do it, and I’m not sure that I could sensibly restraitn my children from eating whatever, whenever if I didn’t set an example. No wonder I’m obese.
Thanks for popping by and commenting Astrid. Restraint is a hard thing to learn I often find!
I take a certain amount of delight in allowing my Niece and Neff to have the awesome things they want as well as the healthyish things I want them to have 🙂 This weekend we all had candyfloss. Lots of it. They loved it 🙂
Spoiling! That’s the reason for Aunties, no? I’ll bet they just love you.
I like to think it is, yes 😀 And yes – they do – all the way until the novelty wears off, or the need for some discipline kicks in 😉
Ha! Been there myself and so get the ” … need for some discipline kicks in.” Lovely to just drop them off and say good bye …
Oh my gosh! SO SO TRUE! It all does spin around on us! I feel the same way about clothing. Back in the day, I KNEW I’d be less of a tyrant than my own mom about what was appropriate to wear. I was going to be cool. Except…HEY that pair of shorts is too short and you may NOT wear them outside this house, young lady! Yep…it is just different when you’re the mom! –Lisa
So very different when you’re the mom. Imagine if we had a magic mirror and could peek into the future for just a wee second to see ourselves as “grownups.” We’d think that mirror was broken. “That’s NOT ME!”
For some reason, I *don’t* remember thinking like that. I’m just glad I grew out my “I hate vegetables” phase. I don’t like them, but I’ll eat them because someone, somewhere says they are good for me.
This experience has allowed me to be a decent mom to my son – he hates veggies, too, and I sort of look at it like he was me. He, too, will grow out of it. So no need to get the pliers and shove that broccoli down his throat. Maybe have some more apples, dear (at least he eats fruit willingly!)
Smiling here at the pliers reference. And you’re so right – no need to sweat the small stuff. He’ll grow out of it.
I never thought about what I’d do with my kids, but I sure took some liberties when I was a kid. It didn’t help that my dad was a baker. He would come home with all sorts of sinfully delicious treats. My mom never tried to stop me from enjoying treat or two. But one night it did get a little out of hand. How can one 9 year old eat an entire strawberry cheesecake while watching Love American Style, Here Come the Brides and Star Trek? Well I did it. And that same night, I devoured half a German Chocolate cake. And then…well…it was a crème puff. Needless to say, after my little binge, I could barely look at sweet treats. Mom was on to something indeed. Even today, I still turn away from most desserts.
Oh this is just so great. Your mom was so smart. I am trying to picture the consumption. A half of a chocolate cake, an entire strawberry cheesecake and a creme puff. Man alive your little tummy must have been as tight as a drum.
Kelly, I loved that! Also, now I really, really want some cake. Or brownies. Drat. I had to laugh at the “yellow popcorn.” 🙂 🙂 One of my girls has a total sweet tooth, and the other could care less. Me? I am all about sneaking dessert midday, but I’m certainly not sharing with my kids. After all, it IS my responsibility to keep them healthy!
My kids are that way too. My daughter adores everything sweet and my son could care less. As for sneaking dessert midday – yes, please!
This made me think back on my own eating habits as a kid. Growing up in the South with grandparents that were farmers, we weren’t very adventurous eaters – we grew mostly what we ate.So I started out as a picky eater. At age 11 I went away at came, and the rule was – you had to eat three bites of everything on your plate unless you were allergic to it. I discovered milk really did make me sick – I hated it so much. I came home and asked for (as I turned my nose up at these before camp) – a hamburger, black eyed peas, waffles, okra, cucumbers. Funny, black eyes peas remain a favorite!!! and other than certain types of meat (i gave up red meat this year – and leaning away from meat in general), I will try anything now!
Now that’s a wonderful camp “takeaway!” Your folks probably weren’t banking on that! I also love black eyes peas and am steering towards mostly vegetarian meals these days. Have a great beans and rice number that I must resurrect. Thanks for the reminder!