Boomer and Halley

This post was originally published as a guest post at carolinaparent.com.

The first time I heard the definition of parenting, I was about seven years old. I was on a sleep over at my best friend’s house at the time. We’ll call her Betty. So, Betty and I tell her Mom we want to make breakfast. We were sure we could make pancakes. Betty’s Mom had to run an errand and promised to be back in just a few minutes. Betty’s Dad was in the next room watching TV. What could go wrong?

When Betty’s mom returned a short while later holding a small grocery bag, it was hard to describe the look on her face. Apparently it was obvious to her that the mixmaster could not hold the pancake mix, eggs, and milk, as it normally did. Those ingredients were now flung far and wide. The maple syrup dripping and flowing was testament to our obvious and hurried response to remedy the situation.

Now, there were many possible reactions that Betty’s Mom could have evoked. Just thinking about the gamut of emotion that might erupt at any minute was enough to make two best friends tremble. Instead, Betty’s Mom put down the grocery bag, let out a sigh, and uttered these words: “You know girls, sometimes parenting is REALLY inconvenient.”

I give this fine woman a lot of credit. Not only did she hold her anger in check, she showed us how to clean up our mess. Then she proceeded to work with us to produce a delicious meal. She and her husband sat with us, laughed with us, and created this memory that I am sharing with you today.

Cleaning up messes, responding with grace in the face of adversity, tolerance, kindness, and teamwork, were just some of the lessons I learned in that kitchen. I now pay the gift forward in the many life lessons served up in the Boomer and Halley(c) series of books I write to help children learn lessons wrapped in laughter and love.

I hope in your home, your family, and in your community – you find a way to do the same!