When we were growing up, as an annual winter event, my parents would let us buy any box of cereal we wanted for ourselves. An entire box to be eaten as we pleased. All in one sitting, traded with another sibling, eaten dry out of the box...whatever we wanted to do with that box of sugary goodness, we could do.
Why did my parents let us do this? What in the world made them come up with such a strange idea? Granted, we are all a little food obsessed...but I honestly think it happened like this:
Imagine our mother, going on a grocery trip sometime during the middle of winter vacation with anywhere from 3-5 children. After hearing our voices ringing in her head for 30 minutes she tells us to go look at the cereal and pick out a box. "one of our own?" we shriek in an annoyingly loud grocery store voice. "yes, each of you need to choose one. And you can't leave that aisle until EVERYONE has chosen their box, okay?" We all scrambled off, she knows we aren't going to be kidnapped because she can hear us from the other end of the store and all she had to do was pay an extra ten or twelve dollars for some few precious moments of silence.
That's how I think it happened.
Well, if that is not truly how the "annual box of sugary cereal" came about, that's how my kids ended up with Reese's Peanut Butter Puffs in our pantry for this week's breakfast. There are a lot of cereal choices out there and that kind of decision can take a while. Enough of a while for a mom to have a few quiet moments in the next aisle over looking at some canned beans.
7 comments:
Brilliant, Just Brilliant!!!
The reality is that we would only eat non sugared cereal like cheerios or rice krispies or yucky shredded wheat. Sugared cereal was really expensive back then. Kids begged for the good cereal. As unaffordable as it was, we had the "pick your own cereal" day. Sometimes, it was very disappointing. Wait all year and hate your cereal. Lots of negotiating and trading and hopes of next years better choice.
That is so funny, but your kids made a GREAT choice that is one of my favorite! I bet if you compared it to like honey nut cheerios it wouldn't even be that much more sugary and it's even made with whole grain :)
My Mom let us do the same thing when we were kids! I never thought about her motive behind it before, but I think you're right...a little bit of peace & quiet to finish grocery shopping would be worth the price of a couple boxes of cereal ;)
Oh man I LOVED that day!! It was either Luchy Charms or Cocoa Puffs...Still my fav's. It was the best if everyone got something diffent and then you traded bowls of cereal. Awesome. Mmmm I remember when Rice Krispie Treats cereal came out...ooohh. I think that initiated a little obsession in me that when going out no two people can get the same thing because that limits your sharing options right?
lol nice i have never heard of that
my mom all made a hot breakfast for me
bobby
cocoa puffs all the way! Cause then you have CHOCOLATE MILK!! Very creative post Jessica!
Post a Comment