sweet lesson
November 7, 2012 § 4 Comments
My son’s head is full of abstract thoughts, challenging ideas chasing through his mind’s eye pushing practical exercises in logic just out of reach. He also possesses an insatiable sweet tooth. Recently my son has been sneaking the subject of brownies into conversations, tiny pleas strung together until collectively they created an insistent nagging. Yesterday morning I handed my son a box of brownie mix suggesting he take a break from the task at hand to make a treat.
Moments into the endeavor he began pelting me with fragmented questions: What should I use? Where should I put this? How long should I stir, mix, bake? Questions and mumbling clanking noisily, like the mismatched instruments he employed. Watching bemused from behind my book, I finally set down my reading and said simply, “Worst case scenario the brownies don’t turn out. You’re a smart kid with great ideas, look outside the box.” He continued to look at the pieces without reading the clearly outlined instructions resting face up on our counter. I waited patiently and curiously gauging his progress without interference.
An hour later the house was filled with the smell of warm brownies, more importantly my son had stumbled successfully through a concrete exercise in problem solving. In a perfect world he might have created brownies from an assortment of ingredients scattered in cabinets rather than a store-bought short cut. The greater lesson was in trying. There was a definable need, an attainable goal, a gooey middle muddled with controlled chaos. In the end, he did it – from creating to cleaning he had found his way. The reward was sweet, the lesson sweeter.
scribblechic 
Boys and brownies. My son makes them, too, and it seems to be a lesson every time…like how not to waste half of the batter…etc.
I do believe there was almost as much batter baking as there was in the dishwater!
How wonderful that you let him experience the process, and its frustrations, on his own. It’s so tempting for adults to want to step in and just do it ourselves.
Sometimes the lessons we learn as parents are as great as the lessons we lend our children. Thanks for commenting!