That's just plain wrong!"
The intensity of his voice caught me off guard.
I'd been working on a new story and he'd been sitting across the room on his own laptop supposedly working on an English essay.
I looked over at him and saw that his attention had been captured, as per usual, by the TV in the corner of the room. I'd stopped watching it earlier, after the program I'd been wanting to see ended and I had forgotten to turn it off.
What could possibly on this late at night that would capture his attention, I wondered.
One quick glance solved the mystery.
An infomercial.
Not just any infomercial, but in particular -- the advertisement for The Magic Bullet. A mini, multi-functional blender/food processor.
We watched together in silence for a few minutes as an uber-enthusiastic couple sprinted around their kitchen making everything from soups, to salads, to entrees to dessert in mirror seconds to a rather odd group of people 'gathered' around the counter.
I have to admit, despite the obviousness of their efforts, I could see how everyone would be swayed by their hard sell, after all who wouldn't want to be able to make a meal for four in six seconds.
Let me correct that, everyone but my son.
There are many times as a parent that you doubt whether anything that you do is making an impact. He proceeded to erase any doubt I might have had.
"What's wrong about it?" I asked him. Obviously I was one push away from dialing the toll-free number to get one of these handy things for my very own.
"It shouldn't always be about doing things fast. Don't they understand that making the food is more important for other reasons?"
"You mean the journey rules over arriving at a destination?"
"Yes!" he said.
I smiled because his enthusiastic reply to my summary because it appeared to be as intense as mine are when he gets what I'm trying to share with him. The tables really are turning on us more often, I thought.
Although I do the majority of the meal making, he's always enjoyed being underfoot and helping out since he was a toddler. He started early by learning how to press the crisscross pattern in peanut butter cookies and from there, there was no stopping him. Now he grows a tiny container herb garden each spring and harvests and dries his efforts for use during the winter. He can grill a great steak with his secret combination of spices and herbs. He loves to make spaghetti sauce from scratch and he's learning how to make bread.
A couple of weeks ago a friend found a small butcher block kitchen island for us. It cost us less than half of a Magic Bullet. Its added a new dimension to our relationship. We have stood across from each other and chopped harvest vegetables for a stew on the first day of Fall, made banana bread on rainy afternoon, and tossed a green salad for the steak he made for dinner.
And we've talked.
We've shared our day, made plans of things we want to do over the winter and even talked about current events on the news. As much as we've always connected, we've connected more.
Sure its pretty dang amazing to see Fettuccine Alfredo made in mere seconds or the ease at which the Magic Bullet chops, dices, blurs and stirs.
But what's even more amazing is a child being able to see past the glitz of a million dollar marketing blitz with his own understanding and what's more valuable than convenience.
Wow. A seventeen year old boy who sees the value of family meal preparation and working side by side, planning, sharing and creating?
Now that's magic.
The intensity of his voice caught me off guard.
I'd been working on a new story and he'd been sitting across the room on his own laptop supposedly working on an English essay.
I looked over at him and saw that his attention had been captured, as per usual, by the TV in the corner of the room. I'd stopped watching it earlier, after the program I'd been wanting to see ended and I had forgotten to turn it off.
What could possibly on this late at night that would capture his attention, I wondered.
One quick glance solved the mystery.
An infomercial.
Not just any infomercial, but in particular -- the advertisement for The Magic Bullet. A mini, multi-functional blender/food processor.
We watched together in silence for a few minutes as an uber-enthusiastic couple sprinted around their kitchen making everything from soups, to salads, to entrees to dessert in mirror seconds to a rather odd group of people 'gathered' around the counter.
I have to admit, despite the obviousness of their efforts, I could see how everyone would be swayed by their hard sell, after all who wouldn't want to be able to make a meal for four in six seconds.
Let me correct that, everyone but my son.
There are many times as a parent that you doubt whether anything that you do is making an impact. He proceeded to erase any doubt I might have had.
"What's wrong about it?" I asked him. Obviously I was one push away from dialing the toll-free number to get one of these handy things for my very own.
"It shouldn't always be about doing things fast. Don't they understand that making the food is more important for other reasons?"
"You mean the journey rules over arriving at a destination?"
"Yes!" he said.
I smiled because his enthusiastic reply to my summary because it appeared to be as intense as mine are when he gets what I'm trying to share with him. The tables really are turning on us more often, I thought.
Although I do the majority of the meal making, he's always enjoyed being underfoot and helping out since he was a toddler. He started early by learning how to press the crisscross pattern in peanut butter cookies and from there, there was no stopping him. Now he grows a tiny container herb garden each spring and harvests and dries his efforts for use during the winter. He can grill a great steak with his secret combination of spices and herbs. He loves to make spaghetti sauce from scratch and he's learning how to make bread.
A couple of weeks ago a friend found a small butcher block kitchen island for us. It cost us less than half of a Magic Bullet. Its added a new dimension to our relationship. We have stood across from each other and chopped harvest vegetables for a stew on the first day of Fall, made banana bread on rainy afternoon, and tossed a green salad for the steak he made for dinner.
And we've talked.
We've shared our day, made plans of things we want to do over the winter and even talked about current events on the news. As much as we've always connected, we've connected more.
Sure its pretty dang amazing to see Fettuccine Alfredo made in mere seconds or the ease at which the Magic Bullet chops, dices, blurs and stirs.
But what's even more amazing is a child being able to see past the glitz of a million dollar marketing blitz with his own understanding and what's more valuable than convenience.
Wow. A seventeen year old boy who sees the value of family meal preparation and working side by side, planning, sharing and creating?
Now that's magic.