Go on, spoil your appetite!

It's an interesting thing, this business of having children.  Especially when you stumble on ideas that you've internalized as truths and therefore never question.  Sometimes those truths are good things ("Don't run with scissors!"  "Don't put pennies in your mouth!") and sometimes they're just leftovers.

"Don't spoil your appetite" is now a leftover, for me.

The main reason I began cooking with my children was that I had limited time to do two things that are important to me: spend time with them and make dinner. 

Dinner is much more than food at the end of the day.  I have wonderful memories of sitting around a wooden oval table with my sisters and parents, laughing, yelling, talking, teasing, and eating.  For the most part, it wasn't about the food, it was about the ritual.  We set the table.  We sat in the same places (heaven forbid you take someone else's favorite spot!).  We cleared the dishes (or tried to get out of it).  We spilled stuff.  We argued.  We sulked.  We talked.  We listened.  Sometimes it was chaos, but mostly it was sustenance.

I wanted to have some version of that with my own children.  Then reality and his unwanted guests (short tempers, late hours, ill-organized pantries, and hungry, tired children) come crashing through the door at 5:30, flinging the cozy memories out of the way.  Who wouldn't go for a quick fix with the pizza guy? 

I struggled for a long time (too long, honestly) to convince my children if they could just wait "a few minutes"  dinner would be ready "soon".  Yeah, right.

"Can't I just have a snack??"  My son would wail.

"No, because snacks are for the afternoon, and they will (here it comes) Spoil Your Appetite!"

Finally, worn down by the stress, I gave in.  "Here, have some cheese and crackers."

Amazing what happened next: he stopped complaining. 

Even more amazing: he stayed in the kitchen and talked to me. 

And even MORE amazing: he still ate his dinner.

So, now we're civilized.  We have some cheese and crackers before dinner.  Sometimes, we try unusual cheeses.  Then we cook.  Meanwhile, I've edited my list of truths.

New truth:  An appetizer makes for a more civilized appetite.