Breakfast for Five

After Mary Alice’s great post a few days ago about the elderly woman eating breakfast on her own in the diner, I started thinking about breakfast at our house. During the week, breakfast is often a rushed jumble of “Eat your oatmeal…The bus will be here in 5 minutes…Are you planning on wearing socks with your sneakers to school today?” On the weekends, however, we usually have the luxury of taking breakfast slowly. Sometimes we make pancakes or waffles, and sometimes we just sit with our bowls of Mini-wheats and enjoy each others’ company. Either way, it has been such a pleasure to watch my two oldest engage in conversation with each other while the littlest one watches, spellbound by the giggles and hand motions. We talk about butterflies, dinosaurs, and the difference between Pre-K and 2nd grade. Sometimes I don’t even say much at all, and have a chance to read the newspaper while the kids entertain each other.

I have always loved breakfast because I enjoy breakfast foods – nothing beats a cup of hot coffee and a plate of yummy pancakes and eggs in my book. Now I am loving our weekend breakfasts for another reason, though – the chance to sit around the table, fresh and well-rested, enjoying each others’ company and looking forward to the day ahead. As the kids grow up and start spending more time away from home, I imagine that I will treasure mealtimes even more. For now, I’m glad that they’re all still little – I’ll keep cutting those pancakes and blowing on those spoonfuls of oatmeal for now, thank you very much. And I will enjoy the giggles and the silly questions along the way.