Baking Lesson 101

Summary

A mother uses a late-night baking session of peanut butter blossoms with her children to teach them about trust and congruence, despite her exhaustion and the emotional challenges they face living between two homes.

Abstract

In "Baking Lesson 101," Divina Grey shares her experience of baking peanut butter blossoms with her children as a means to build trust and provide emotional support. Despite the inconvenience of starting such a task at 9 pm on a Sunday, Grey honors her promise to her daughter, who craves extra attention after the stress of transitioning between her parents' homes. Grey reflects on the importance of following through with commitments to her children, understanding that her actions speak louder than words in reinforcing trust during a time when their family life has been disrupted. The baking session becomes a therapeutic activity, not only for her children but also for Grey, as it reaffirms her role as a consistent and loving presence in their lives.

Opinions

Grey believes in the power of actions to reinforce trust, especially in the context of parenting children who are experiencing the emotional toll of their parents' separation.
She acknowledges the difficulty of accepting that, despite her best efforts, she cannot always alleviate her children's pain or control every aspect of their lives.
The act of baking cookies is seen as a metaphor for building a stable and loving environment, with the care taken in making peanut butter blossoms symbolizing the care taken in nurturing her children's emotional well-being.
Grey emphasizes the importance of being present and engaged with her children, even when it's inconvenient, as a way to demonstrate her commitment and love for them.
The article expresses gratitude to participants of the 6-Word Photo Story Challenge, suggesting that such community engagement and shared experiences through photography contribute positively to life's enjoyment.

6-Word Photo Story Challenge

Building Trust and Peanut Butter Blossoms.

These were a hoot to make with my kids! But, no, it’s not what I wanted to do at 9 pm on a Sunday. Nevertheless, it was an excellent opportunity to teach them trust and congruence with my words and actions.

My kids are going through a lot. I do my very best I can do as a parent (and human) every day— and that’s all I can do. But it’s a hard pill to swallow some days (most days) that no matter how hard I try, I can’t fix everything or take their pain away.

Last week, my daughter was craving some extra ‘mom time’ after the emotionally taxing back-and-forth toll of living in two homes. After a heart-to-heart, I promised her we’d make cookies together. Not just any ol’ cookies either — no, peanut butter blossoms. I had no idea how much care was involved with blossoming these peanut butter baked goods. Taking the tried-and-true chocolate chip cookie route would have been more efficient.

But, I promised.

I remember having a pep-talk with myself after wanting to put off baking for one more day. My kids don’t know if they’re coming or going. They go back and forth between their mom’s house and their dad’s house; their life and whole existence up until a year ago has been cracked down the middle and pulled apart like a rancid cookie.

That night, I remember repeating these words to myself: you’re building trust with her by following through with what you said you’re going to do. I so badly wanted to relax that Sunday night. I busted out my mom’s mixer and engaged with my baby girl like crazy instead. My son even got involved in the Hershey’s Kisses situation!

So, no, I didn’t want to bake cookies at 9 pm on a Sunday, but I did want to build trust with my kids; the same belief that broke in half after their mom and dad didn’t stay together as they had always planned.

And, sometimes — that, my friends, is how the cookie crumbles.

Thank you to all the 6-Word Photo Story Challenge participants for making life worth living again through photography!