Hello Neighbor!

“Did you do your Summer Something?”

If I ask one of my daughters this question, an eye roll may follow.  They’ve reached the Age of the Eye Roll (ages 13 and nearly 12), but to be fair, I’ve clocked many years as an English teacher, and sometimes my girls just want a normal mom, not one who cloaks chores, piano practice, and bracelet-making in alliterative phrases and Comic Sans script.  Yes, I typed up and delivered a lesson plan to my own children this summer.  My daughters swim most of the day, but when they’re home, they need to spend some time on something other than a screen.

My teen has focused her attention on food: not the shopping for and the preparing of food, but the deciding not to eat the food that I’ve shopped for and prepared.  She’s recently seen “Cowspiracy”, and now she’s proclaimed herself a vegetarian with aspirations towards veganism.  One of my reasons for living is cheese, so veganism-not-on-my-watch, but I am giving her room to explore a world without meat.  What I’m suggesting, though, is that part of her Summer Something should involve putting in the work: considering nutrition, finding recipes, and getting in the kitchen for reasons other than grabbing a Popsicle.

So far, I am not claiming any big wins: she still hasn’t cooked a meal.  But she is thinking about it.

At least it’s something.
Katie L.