Tea & Sympathy

We have a weekly family movie night.  Sometimes I am lazy and we just scroll through what’s “On Demand” and hope for the best.  I usually try to research a quality film, appropriate, yet interesting enough to hold the attention of ages 8 – 45, order in advance through Netflix, and have it ready, with healthy snacks, in time for the weekend.  I know, I am a miracle worker.

First Born Prince wanted some tea to sip during the show last Sunday night, a sweet little tradition we started in Ithaca.  He takes his with milk and honey.  I prefer mine spiked with comfort but I usually settle for plain.  If I can’t catch a buzz, then I am a purist.

“Mom, can I have some tea?”

“Sure.”

Neither of us moved a muscle.  He was, of course, waiting for me to hop up, put the kettle on, make a fuss with the tea bags, etc., etc.  I was already horizontal with “War Horse” all queued up, a dog by my side and a bag of Power Berries from Trader Joe’s in my lap.  (If you haven’t tried these chocolate “berries” made with acai, blueberry and pomegranate juice, DON’T—they are highly addictive.)

“Charlie, why don’t I teach you how to make it?”

“Okay.”

I walked him through all the steps, including running down the hall to ask the Professor if he wanted any.  Note:  This is a serious step when making anything in our house.  It didn’t occur to me to tell him to use a potholder or oven mitt.

“Aaaggghhh!”

He had grabbed the kettle, boiling hot, by its metal handle.  I couldn’t see what he was doing, because, remember, I was busy getting the sofa and snacks ready for everyone from my spot on the pillows.  He was fine, the burn wasn’t too bad.  I tried not to make too big of a fuss.  He’s almost six feet tall and is certainly capable of pouring hot water on his own.

It got me thinking about the process of letting go, knowing they’ll make mistakes and realizing that even when you’re lying there, eating fake healthy carbohydrates only a few feet away, that even then they will get hurt. 

If we’re lucky, they will learn from these mistakes and go off to college knowing how to make a cup of tea.