The Kids are Warped...It's My Fault

On Today's Menu~
Broccoli Quiche (with cheddar cheese)

My teenagers have seen the Rocky Mountains and hiked the Garden of the Gods. They've taken a horse-drawn taxi in Mexico where we traveled down side streets in Nuevo Laredo and saw homes with dirt floors. We sailed 25 miles out from Gloucester, Mass. and saw humpback whales feeding and frolicking. We've gone to nursing homes to see people who are forgotten. One school year we tessered through Madeleine L'Engle's books and been to Narnia where we were tempted with Turkish Delight. They love all kinds of ethnic food and good 'ole U.S. of A. cooking (although my son and I share an aversion to black olives and beets).

Imagine my surprise at their reaction when I brought home a 5-pound bag of frozen broccoli spears.

"They look--they look like trees!" my 13-year-old daughter exclaimed.

"Um, yes. That's how broccoli comes." I put the bag in the freezer. What's the big deal?

"I never knew that." She stared at the bag.

I admit it. I've been a cheap mom over the years while getting them to appreciate vegetables. I always prided myself on the fact that they would eat salad and enjoy it, or snack on celery. But I never thought about buying the "full-size" broccoli. I would grab the least expensive bag of frozen chopped stuff and go on my way. Grocery shopping is a necessary evil. The old hunter-gatherer tradition still exists. Even today we went, and came home unscathed with a lighter wallet.

I went to great lengths to expose the kids to the beauty of the world and carefully let them see some of its sadness. I wanted them to see the world is far bigger than our town and everyday world. And yet they never knew broccoli came in spears.

Lest you think I laid awake worrying about this, I didn't. I had a good laugh about it with my husband, and went on.

No matter how good a job we try to do as parents, we're bound to miss something. Like the kids not knowing for so many years that broccoli comes in spears. But that's okay. As long as they keep learning, the wonder and amazement will still be there. I hope we have tons of time to discover new things together, even if it's something I already knew.

God knows all kinds of things, more than we can imagine. I bet He gets a kick out of our "discoveries," stuff He knew the whole time. And I believe He smiles at the wonder in our eyes and amazement in our voices.