Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Of Course I'm Perfect, Part 2


Ok, so it's not my worst parenting blunder. It's just my most recent. But oh does it highlight so many others that it's worth including in this category. Just so you know, I have an UNENDING supply of parental blunder stories to share. I'm human. And female. And live in a household of MEN. Men who could all be engineers if one of them would just get off his lazy buttocks and produce some actual work. Sigh. (Lost? See yesterday's post).

You know how sometimes you have to apologize to your kids because you screwed up and have to admit you did the wrong thing? I'm in that place more than I care to admit. So we've been camping (as you read yesterday) and are home, and I don't know about your place, but around Colorado we've been setting some serious heat records. I spent Friday packing, Saturday camping, ½ of Sunday un-camping, and the other half lying in my wind tunnel trying not to pass out. I'd forgotten to pack my asthma meds and the lack thereof had finally kicked me in the ass.

Mom, will you make me some baked oatmeal?” This is a concoction that was served to YellowBoy at camp, and he's been living off of it since. I can just hear the conversation at your house right now,

Mom? Watcha reading?”

Some crazy lady who wouldn't get up off her butt and spend ten minutes to make a simple dinner for her son.”

What was she not making?”

Recipe:
3 cups rolled oats
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 stick melted butter
1 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

Mix. Pour into lubed 9x13 pan and bake for 35-40 minutes at 350. It tastes like a granola bar, only it's cheaper and they drink milk with it. Adds up to good in my book. Which might not match yours...but there ya' go.

Here's where it gets ugly. At first I explain about the heat and the packing and the tiredness and the horror of heating the kitchen with the stove to bake. He just calmly looks at me and says,

Mom, remember when you got back from being gone, and I asked you to make me a sandwich, and you said you're so tired from traveling and that I can make my own sandwich? And then the next day you said you were sorry and that if you'd been thinking of it the right way, you would have spent the five minutes making me the sandwich. This is like that. Can I have some baked oatmeal?”

Of course I cave. If something I did over a year ago has made such a big impact that he can quote me, then I've totally blown it. Baked oatmeal it is. Want some? It's a lot easier to eat than crow.

8 comments:

Sue said...

How come I've never heard of baked oatmeal?! I feel cheated and will give it a go later in the week. Now to back track and find out the delights of your camping trip ... oh the joy of the memories of camping with the kiddywinks ;-(

hope you're better now

Sue

Brian Miller said...

ha. gotta love it when their memory of that moment is crystal clean...and then they toss it in your lap....oh my...yes we are all human....smiles.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

What an evil memory! If you can ever get him to produce some work, he's be dangerous.

Marianne (Mare) Baker Ball said...

We just can't get away w/ stuff w/ our kids, can we? :-) When my son was about 16, he reminded me that I never got him the flannel shirt I promised him when he was about 6! I don't even remember the promise! We went to the mall that day, and he picked out a shirt. We laugh about it now, but it's so good for us to keep our promises, as best we can anyway. I'll have to try baked oatmeal!

Gina Gao said...

This sounds really great! Ha!

www.modernworld4.blogspot.com

Annalisa Crawford said...

Good memory is unforgivable in my house!

Julie Kwiatkowski Schuler said...

We're completely their slaves. Wait until I get really old, I'll get them back!

Arlee Bird said...

Don't think I've ever had baked oatmeal but I've had oatmeal cookies and they were baked.

I guess it's pretty hot and humid here in Houston, but I've been mostly staying inside on the computer. Trying to get my fill since I will probably have about a week coming up with no internet access. I'm heading to an unknown circumstance at my wife's relative's house and I'm not sure what to expect. I hope some of them speak at least some English.


Lee
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