Short Stack

Years ago when Neal and Amberly were very small we went to a family birthday party across the valley. Utah Dad met us there after work. As we were leaving the party, I commented to Neal:

"Why don't you drive the car home with Amberly so that I can ride home with Daddy in his car and we can talk."

Obviously, I was joking. The kid was three years old. He couldn't even see over the steering wheel. But I shouldn't have underestimated his self-confidence. He quickly agreed with that plan and was FURIOUS when I explained that he really couldn't drive and that I was just joking.

All the way home, with me driving of course, he argued that he was fully capable of driving the car. After all, he had observed us doing it for awhile. "When I need to stop," he explained, "I'll just push on the brake." He was confident that he knew the way home too and told me every turn to make just to prove his point.

I added a note to my Mental Mommy Rule Book : Three year olds do not understand facetiousness or for that matter, their own limitations.

Yesterday morning I was lounging in bed long after my children had gotten up. They were hungry and begging for food (I admit that I didn't actually make a "dinner" on Saturday night--it was more like snacking).

"Why don't you go make some pancakes for everyone so I can stay in bed," I casually suggested to Neal. I didn't actually intend for him to cook breakfast. I was in the process of getting up and was planning to feed my children. I also figured that he would whine about it. Lately he's been complaining about everything I ask him to do. So, I was surprised when he jumped at the chance to prepare breakfast.

Neal made pancakes for everyone. Yes, he used a mix. And he is nine now so making breakfast is well within the range of his abilities. He insisted on doing it all by himself (without help from Amberly). But he did a good job.

I ate mine with strawberries and whipped cream.