You are here: C'Moms Home Page  > Columns > Simplifying Motherhood Archives

Second Chances & Hot Cocoa


February, 2007

By Trish Berg

I yelled at my kids this morning. In fact, it was pretty much a shout with a yell mixed in. And it was over nothing that important, really. I was just tried and stressed, running late and frustrated, and so I yelled.

I know it wasn’t the best solution, not the reaction I want to have when things go wrong.

Definitely not the life lesson I want to teach my kids. And surprise, surprise, it didn’t solve the problem at all. It just made Sydney cry and Colin tell me I was being mean, which I was.

It’s too bad I don’t have a magic eraser that wipes away my mistakes like that. I guess I’ll have to settle for an apology and an attempt to do it better next time.

And I did apologize, though the mom-guilt has been with me all day.

I don’t want to be the kind of person who yells. I want to be the kind of person who has fun. Enjoys life. Smiles a lot and laughs out loud, even if a snort sneaks out now and again. I want to live in the moment, each moment I am given, and find the joy in that alone, no matter what obstacles lay in my path.

When I was a little girl, I used to love to visit my Grandma Knoedler’s house because we always had fun with her. She lived in the moment, even if the moments passed way too fast. Her white two story house sat on top of a hill overlooking a golf course and she had the best sledding hill around.

In her basement sat a huge bin loaded with the worst looking, ratty old hats, scarves and gloves you could imagine. Many of them had been hand made years ago and looked to be a hundred years old with holes and tears here and there. Many were garage sale fodder she had picked up.

Keep Reading
Ad            
Your Ad Here		      

But when it snowed, nobody cared what we looked like. We just grabbed whatever warm gear we could from that bin and headed for Grandma’s back yard hill.

We would line up the silver saucers and red plastic sleds at the top of the hill as if we were in a NASCAR race. Then, all at once we would jump on and slide down that hill as fast as we could always trying to avoid running into the two trees that sat precariously at the bottom of that hill.

We never let those trees stop us from sledding, or having fun. We just steered around them and did our best not to hit them head on.

When we were soaking wet, red cheeked and cold, we would head into the kitchen where Grandma would make hot cocoa with milk, not water, and we would warm up body and soul.

My Grandma Knoedler died when I was a senior in high school, and I still miss her today. She was feisty and strong, and far from perfect. She even yelled at times. But what I remember most was her smile, the fun we had on that hill, and the love she showed us.

So there’s still hope for me, I guess. And there’s a life lesson from my sledding days. When life throws precarious obstacles in my path, like those trees at the bottom of that hill, I can’t let them steal my joy. All I need to do is steer clear of the trouble, laugh out loud, and enjoy the ride.

I might not always get it right, but I do get a lot of second chances at this mothering gig. And though I don’t have a magic eraser that can delete my yelling bout from this morning, I do have some hot cocoa in the pantry, and maybe that’s enough.

Hot Cocoa Mix Recipe
3/4 cup powdered milk
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
Mini marshmallows to garnish

1. Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.
2. Store in a dry airtight container.
3. To make the hot chocolate, simply add 1 cup of hot water per 1/2 cup of hot cocoa mix.

Trish would love to hear from you at www.trishberg.com, or e-mail trishberg    @   trishberg.com.

© Trish Berg, 2006-present
Trish Berg is author to The Great American Supper Swap, and Rattled - Surviving Your Baby's First Year without Losing Your Cool! She has been a guest ABC World News Tonight, Midday Connection, and The Harvest Show.
She is an internationally known speaker for ministries such as MOPS, Hearts at Home, and in Australia on Parenting Seminars Online. She has written for Today's Christian Woman, MOMSense, CBN.com and P31 WOMAN.
For more information, check out www.TrishBerg.com

"Mom Site" Affiliates

:: A Mom's Love.com :: C WAHM.com :: Moms of Faith