A Proud Mommy Moment

I think I’m a pretty good mama. I love my kid, and I let him know it everyday. It’s true that I didn’t receive my copy of The Handbook, but I manage to muddle though most days and feel okay about the job I’ve done.

And before you rush to my defense and point out how I starved myself for 15 months while I was nursing due to his food allergies or how SRH and I have done stretches of 20 consecutive days of breathing treatments in the middle of the night, I should point out that I think that those things do not constitute good parenting. They are more, well, necessary parenting.

But there are a few activities where I feel like I shine as a parent.

And baking is one of them.

Zane and I bake our little hearts out. We bake pumpkin muffins. We bake banana muffins (Of course, we stopped doing that quite as often as bananas seem to make Zane itchy). We make cupcakes, and we make cookies. We make pumpkin bars, and on the odd occasion, we’ll bake up some cinnamon rolls.

And sometimes, Zane will actually eat what we’ve baked.

You see, Zane seems to enjoy the process of baking, but not so much the outcomes.

I have consistently made him “faux” treats for birthday parties, preschool events, and holidays. He has, just as consistently, not given a fig for my hard work and effort. Lifting his nose against the assault of egg-free cupcakes and turning away from dairy free cookies, he has been quite clear that while he likes to bake, he could care less about eating our efforts.

But finally, the toil and sweat (and flour encrusted clothing) of our endeavors has paid off.

Behold, the vegan cut out cookie:

This amazing cookie fits the Holy Trinity of Baking-for-Zane Requirements: It’s fun to make. It’s allergen-free, and it’s delicious to eat. Yay!

And imagine my glee when Zane not only asked to make these cookies, but then pestered me to lick the beaters and eat the dough as I was trying to roll it out. (He also asks to have them every morning for breakfast, but my maternal pride has some limits.)

And just when I was feeling flush with this good feeling – my kid adores something allergen-free that I baked especially for him! – he gave me another proud mommy moment:

While pooping on the potty today and simultaneously picking his nose, Zane promptly took a boogie and wiped it on the bathroom wall.

Kids will always keep you humble.