Tuesday, May 29, 2012

An endangered species.

blog 2012
(Joy the Baker* cookbook)

I have a confession to make.

No, it isn't that I watch Keeping up with the Kardashians
or Toddlers and Tiaras.

 I am not here to admit to waxing my upper lip...
 Not quite yet, anyhow.

I am not even announcing to the world that I am knocked up with Michael Jackson's love child 
because he isn't really dead; he is actually living in our back shed.
(If that was true, I'd be selling my story to the world;
 not posting it here on this insignificant, little blog)

But what I am owning up to is the fact that I feed my kids dessert. Every night.
Yep. I said it. It's out there.

Dessert. Every. Night.

 I am hanging my head in shame right about now,
because from what I have seen and heard,
dessert isn't "the done thing".
Pudding seems to be a dirty word these days.

We are too busy trying to bring our children up
with balanced diets, active bodies and an oh-so-healthy attitude to their future well-being
to whip up a bread and butter pudding or make a jelly trifle.

Dessert here is mostly yoghurt and fruit.
(A home made yoghurt at that.
Does that earn me back any cred at all?)

blog 2012

But I will own up to a love of baking.
I do love making the kids a nice custard
and I really enjoy baking some of those old-fashioned puddings
that I grew up with.

I don't feel like I have a lot of childhood rituals from growing up
but flicking through the CWA cookbook or my nans' recipes,
making that lovely rice pudding that they made...
it gives me a sense of comfort and happiness.

(Even the word pudding is just such a yummy word)

There aren't any "starving children" chats attached to main course.
There are no "if you don't eat every last leaf of those brussel sprouts
you are trying to hide under your mashed potato,
you wont get icecream" comments attached to a frown and a waggling finger.

We know, as modern, trying-to-be-switched-on parents,
that creating an unhealthy attitude to dessert-type foods is just not on.

We will ask the children to try new foods
but we don't force them to eat things that they don't like,
just so that they can have a treat.
I remember being forced to eat foods that I detested,
just so that I could have the bowl of yummy sweet stuff at the end.
I still grew up detesting every vegetable apart from potato till I was about 24 years old
and I certainly grew up with an excessive interest in (some might say obsession with) sweet food.

We will discuss how hungry they are
with regards to finishing their main meal.

I know that one argument that is in our favour:
That if kids aren't deprived of something,
they wont grow up desperately craving it and over indulging.

We are all doing the best that we can as parents
but sometimes I wonder if we are failing our kids by giving them that second (sweet) course each evening.
I certainly don't feel comfortable volunteering this information
at any mum meet-ups now that I have worked out that I am in the minority,
likely to be socially cast-out at the first mention of "self-saucing".


blog 2012

*Joy the Baker is my current girl crush.
I have foregone Dita Von Teese's style and glamour
for Joy's use of butter and sugar.

9 comments:

CurlyPops said...

Can I please come and live at your place? I'd be soooooo happy if someone made me dessert every night!

Nikki said...

You have my pardon (as if it really counts for something...?). I grew up with dessert every night. None of us was/is overweight and we all have good teeth.

You've just made me feel like bad-mummy for actually COOKING and putting thought into meals (I leave it all to the man of the house). Baking and pudding-making sounds positively wholesome and nurturing to me.

Nikki said...

.. I mean.. I'm bad-mummy for NOT cooking and baking....

sascedar said...

i think my home is missing a little pudding-joy at the moment! i've been baking lunchbox treats, but dinner could certainly do with some nice exclamation points every couple of days. hmm, thinking pineapple upside-down cake for starters ;) sarah

Lola Nova said...

We have a 'treat' nearly every night 'round here. Sometimes it is just fruit, or a homemade smoothie ice pop. The girl is fed well, asks for carrots and tofu for snacks...so I rationalize that a little treat is ok. Still, I don't volunteer that information to the other school mums. :)

Dani Castley said...

My two eat dessert pretty much every night. For the boy in particular, dessert is pretty much the precursor to supper, snack no 1, no2 and 3. Son is 13, nearly 6ft tall, growing like a weed, and pretty much eating when his eyes are open. I refuse to feel guilty .... its only food.

Dani Castley said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Kelly Casanova said...

Ooh, Joy the Baker looks great!
My kids are also "spoiled" with dessert, they are happy enough with fruit and yoghurt and supremely happy with pudding. So there. I think it's normal :)

Sally said...

If you count yoghurt as dessert then we have it every night too!!!

We make loads of cakes, muffins, custards, ... delights as well. Life's too short not too. It is all about balance.

... of course if you're "too full" to eat your veg & protein then there is no afters. But hey - that's just logic.