“No, helper!”

The cookie baking is nearing an end. The only ones I have left to make are Peppermint Snowballs. I seriously considered not making them this year, but when I asked around the family what cookies they would like me to make, my youngest sister said that they were her favorites. So I plan on making half a batch (a full batch can make 5 dozen cookies or more, and I don’t need that many – 3 dozen will be plenty), and possibly one more batch of regular fudge. Then, I think I’m done. Really.

This will be sad for the Munchkin. She has come to associate the word “helper” with “cookies”. For instance, I asked if she could be my helper when we went shopping and she said, “Oh, cookies?” We have a system down. She knows that she gets to stand on a chair in a corner at the counter, and that she can play with anything unbreakable up there. She knows that Mommy runs the electric beaters – and they are noisy enough that she really doesn’t want to be around them. She knows that she gets to pour ingredients from their measuring cups or spoons into the mixing bowls. She knows that she gets to stir dry ingredients – with Mommy’s hand over hers on the whisk.

Admittedly, it has been harder for me to get things done with my “helper” at my left hand. She is constantly reminding me that she is the helper, so she has rights – in other words, don’t ignore me, Mommy! My counters would be much cleaner, and I would be able to work faster and get done sooner. But a few messes is worth the fun that she has had – and in turn, that I have had – in working with me. The Munchkin is fully engaged in a fun activity, and even though she is too little for everything, she’s old enough for some of it, and that is fun. It will only get more fun as she gets older. And even though she’s made many messes, I wouldn’t change any of it. She has enjoyed it so much, and this is something I’ve always wanted to do – make cookies with my daughter.

Maybe next year, she will keep all the sugar sprinkles on the counter instead of the floor.

This entry was posted on Monday, December 19th, 2005 at 8:21 am and is filed under Children.
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