"We must have patience"

“Do you want a cookie?”

This is the question I asked my little niece, Annagrace, the other day…

My wife Laura and I had gone over to my sister-in-law’s house to have pizza & watch a movie (Kung-Fu Panda) we had gotten from Net Flix a few days prior. We, more times than any, always have some sort of dessert after dinner at Jenn and Paul’s house. Normally, it is some sort of sugary confection, ie. Cookies or brownies, but this evening it was Nestle toll house mini cookies.

She gleefully responded, “Yes!” She’s two and her eyes seem to light up when she hears the word cookie, or baby for that matter. But, that is a story for another day.

“Yes, what?” I say…

“Yes, peas…” she replied with splendid eagerness.

“Well, they are still cooking,” I said. “Go back and finish watching Kung-fu Panda while they finish.”

“Otay” she says.

She runs back into the den decked out in her pink and frilly apron complete with pink and crimson bakers hat.

A few minutes pass and we hear a beeping sound that alerts that the cookies are done! It also gives my sister-in-law’s crazy pooches, two Shelties named Cagney & Lacey, who love to bark at anything, the chance to yap their little heads off... I find they hate it when I wave the spatula in the air while doing my best Kung-Fu moves… It makes them go bizurk! They tend to run around in circles while yapping at the air... It is quite entertaining!

“Eric, stop agitating them!” said Laura.

“But, it’s fun!” I reply like a little kid who has found something that allows attention brought on.

Jenn, Laura’s sister, and my wife give me a stern look as to give me a silent reprimand. I proceed over to the oven to retrieve the freshly baked cookies.

“Annagrace, they are done!” I said.

“Yaaaay!” she yells. “I want one.”

“Alright, you can have one, but they have to cool-off a little first,” I said “they are still hot!”

“Otay,” she said in defeated voice. “But…I want a cookie!”

“Annagrace, we need to begin doing something that most adults practice on a daily basis…” Laura looks over at me in wonderment, confused, and probably very confused where I am going with this notion.

“We must have… patience.” I said this while invoking my inner Kung-fu Panda. I proceeded to put both my palms together as if I were going to pray and proceeded to bend my knees down to her level and repeated what I said before.

“We must have patience… Something Uncle Eric still is working on himself! Can you show me how you have patience?”

“Yes,” Annagrace replied, as she clasped her two tiny palms together and whispered the word, “patience.”

“Very good,” I said. “I have much to teach you, my young Padawan.”

I was so surprised with the whole situation! You can certainly learn a lot about yourself while helping a kid making cookies! I am looking forward to having a lot of fun with Mauldin when he gets here...