At 6:00 am this morning, when the alarm clock rang, I wanted to pull the covers over my head and go back to sleep. In fact, going back to sleep would have been a very easy thing for me to do. You see when I awoke; I could hear the steady and constant rain falling outside my window. All I needed to do was crack the window and I might have slept for several additional hours. A light schedule at the office, rain, a slightly opened window, and temperatures in the low 50s…ah now that’s what I call a recipe for perfect sleeping.
However, going back to sleep was not an option for me. On this morning, like many mornings, there was another recipe that I was scheduled to follow. So despite sleeping four measly hours and wanting so desperately to go back to sleep for about another hour or so, I headed downstairs to make homemade biscuits for my son.
Yes, I still prepare breakfast for my sixteen year old son. Preparing a hot, homemade breakfast for him is a tradition that has existed for as long as he has been eating table food. Why do I still do it? The answer is simple. He is my son and I love him.
As I reflect on pulling the ingredients together to make the healthiest and tastiest vegan biscuit you could ever want to eat, I realize now just how much combining flour, oil, baking powder, turbinado, soy milk, and vegan butter is remarkably similar to what we do as parents when raising our children. We pull together all the ingredients that we believe will bring out the superhuman ability in our children.
We combine our own life lessons, our personal experiences, our trials and tribulations, instructions on the value of hard work, unlimited provision of our time & energy, and make the commitment that their lives shall be better than ours in the same exact way that our ancestors vowed to us.
My son came downstairs and in the fraction of the time that it took me to make the biscuits – he put his food in a container, gave me a hug, told me that he loved me and left for school. I didn’t get to stay in bed or go back to sleep this morning but I received something much more valuable. Today, I was reminded that everything that I add to my son’s life like the ingredients that make the biscuit may not taste so good on their own.
However, when the ingredients are measured and mixed correctly and prepared at the correct temperature, you end up with something or – in the case of your child – someone that you are proud of and excited to share with others. In case you hadn’t notice, I am exceptionally proud of my son and I am incredibly excited to share him with you.
Did you know the importance of cooking children breakfast? Share your thoughts and experiences below.
Nate I am so proud of you and love the entries (this is a book so don’t share everything or we won’t need to buy it:) You are a great dad and I knew when I met you that you would be because I saw the passion and motivation you had for inspiring young men (and women) to succeed and achieve their dreams. You are the Superman!