Two-faced toast

This Mother’s day our kids wanted to make breakfast for their mother. So my daughter took mom’s order… Coffee and toast.

When it was ready to go they decided they would use a metal serving plate with a locking metal cover to serve their mom in bed. None of us could’ve imagined what a bad idea this would prove to be.

They all paraded in, my daughter carrying the coffee and my son carrying the toast. When he went to lift the lid off it was locked and he kind of struggled to open it with one hand. As he struggled with it he inclined it ever so slightly and unbeknownst to all of us the glass plate had slid inside up against one side of the cover. That was also precisely the moment that his older brother decided to help remove the lid. This was all that was required to tip the balance in favour of calamity when the lid was finally removed. The toast thus unfettered flew quickly sideways and as is commonly known turned exactly upside down and headed for the floor. There was, of course, in that brief instance of time a great effort by all to catch the flying toast but this only produced the inenviable result of also spilling coffee.

We all had a good laugh, cleaned up the mess and started over. I pretended to find it funny so everyone would think I had a good attitude too but my nerves felt exposed and raw. One of my sons started making the second piece of toast and asked my daughter what mom wanted.

“Toast with peanut butter on the bottom and jam on the top”, She said.

When it was happening I was vaguely aware of this conversation taking place it was only later when I replayed it in my mind that I fully understood the significance of the miscommunication that ensued.

“Toast with peanut butter on the bottom and jam on the top?” he asked confused “Are you sure that’s what she wants?”

“Yup” she answered. When the toast was ready she came out to take it to her mom “Huh?.. You put peanut butter on the bottom?”

Now my ears perked up and I realized he had made a double-sided piece of toast. Literally peanut butter on the bottom, or one side and then flipped it over and put jam on the top… on the other side!

I’m ashamed to say this is when I lost my composure and freaked out just a little bit… “Why would you do that?!” “Use the brain God gave you!” “Of course she wouldn’t want it on both sides!”

My daughter wisely chastised me, “Daddy don’t yell and ruin Mother’s day”,. I stopped, took a deep breath and apologized to the two of them.

It’s not smart to bottle your feelings up and pretend like you don’t feel angry. I know it’s ok to be angry. But It’s definitely not ok to lose control. I’m supposed to be a good example to my kids but sometimes my example instead of how to behave the first time is how to apologize later.

In your anger do not sin – Eph 4:26a

Fathers do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged – Colossians 3:21