I won the mother-of-the-year award from my children this past weekend, and you know how I did it? With a nice little invention called “Jello!”
Yes, I fed my children mango, raspberry muffins and grape jello for breakfast on Sunday. I am now the coolest mother in the world.
“This is the best breakfast ever!” my two children screamed.
Sometimes I wonder if it’s tough for my children to have a mother from another country. Then I think of all the things I bring into their lives like Maccaroni and Cheese, Coke Floats and Jello and I realize that I’m pretty cool.
Sadly, their friends don’t agree. I can’t get their guests to eat the maccaroni or the jello (“It’s weird”). I think I could get them to drink the Coke Float, but there would be no way with a Root Beer float. These kids don’t know what they’re missing. They’ll appreciate these things when they become obsessed with New York and L.A. in their later years. My kids will be way ahead of the curve by then.
Before you start thinking I’m a horrible American mother who fattens up her kids on junk food, you might want to know that my children are 6 and 8 and this is the first time in their lives they can remember having jello. They’ve probably had Coke floats 3 times in their lives and maccaroni and cheese maybe once a month. So don’t throw me in with the McDonald’s eating, soda drinking, Cheetos munching, 24 hr t.v. watching, lazy parents out there. I have enough good sense in me that the kids love tomatoes and broccoli and can walk two miles with no complaints. In fact, when we go on vacation in the U.S., the Americans feel sorry for them since we insist they drink water with their meals. “Those poor children! You’re depriving them of any joy in their lives!”
Enough of defending myself. I don’t need to fight for my right to give my kids jello. This is my own guilt arguing in my head. Of course my children should celebrate their American heritage with the occasional jello for breakfast or chocolate cake in the bathtub! And I’ll convince the Swedes to drink root beer one of these days! (cue “Proud to be an American” music).