When I pictured future scenes of motherhood, I never saw myself doing anything wrong. In my mind, I flowed through the motions of parenthood with ease, which included planning for, shopping for and cooking family meals. I remembered my breakfasts as a kid: something quick (usually from a box) with a shot of orange juice and not much variety to choose from. The day’s first meal is the most important one, though, and I vowed to get my kids ready for the day with a wholesome meal. Ha. Turns out the expectations of cooking breakfast are nothing like the realities if cooking breakfast. Not for my children, anyway. Oh, parenthood: it never turns out the way we thought it would.
Honestly, there's simply not enough time to make good on that promise of a well-balanced, somewhat complicated but always nutritious and delicious breakfasts, while simultaneously delivering on all the other expectations of parenting small children (especially in the morning). Kids still need to be dressed, cleaned, cuddled and directed away from my make-up drawer. Something has to give, and that something, for me, has been cooking.
Being the budget-conscious family that we are, we don’t eat out much and rarely order in. I want my kids to love food and value its place in their lives — to nourish them and represent diverse cultures and flavors. It’s just, well, some of us aren’t the type to keep ground sage on hand or know how to make some sort of hollandaise sauce from scratch. So, the reality of breakfast time definitely doesn't live up to my previous expectations. That's alright, though. I take the wins when I can and, when I can't I just enjoy my cold cup of coffee.