“I have a cold. I need chocolate chip cookies.”
“No. I’ll make you some tea,” I say.
“I don’t want tea. I want a cookie,” says the boy. There’s no room for discussion here.
This is the kind of conversation that can go around and around for days with an eight-year old. I’m smarter than that.
“I want you to have some healthy food. You can have cookies later.”
“Cookies are healthy. You used bread flour.” He remembered I’d run out of all-purpose flour, and used the King Arthur bread flour–which I’ve declared healthy–in a pinch. Time to up my game.
“I’ll tell you what. If you go to Google and find one article that says chocolate chip cookies cure coughs, I’ll let you have one.”
Off to Google he goes. Google’s the only thing in the universe that knows more than Mom and nearly as much as God.
“Got it!”
“I’m coming to check–it has to be a good source…” Why not teach research skills while he’s desperate? It’s not a good source. “No, ‘Cookies for Cancer’ is a fundraiser. Try again.”
He goes away again. He returns. “How do you spell cough?” I help.
“Got it!”
“I’m going to check! Make sure it’s good this time!”
Sure enough, he’s found page upon page of research showing dark chocolate may be more powerful than cough medications, without the side effects. That’s something this clean eater can get behind. But a “No cookies for breakfast” mom? That’s a much higher burden of proof.
“It doesn’t say cookies, it says chocolate,” I say.
“It says ‘dark chocolate,’ Mom. Dark chocolate is what’s in cookies.” He’s stumped me on that one. And the website is a science one, although I did find another version spun in the Daily Mail.
“Okay. You’ve earned your cookie.” He goes off to pick the biggest one. He grabs two. “I said one,” I say.
“These were stuck together. But don’t worry, I’m only going to eat half.” Half of two is one. Sounds legit. I wonder if I’ll find the half he’s supposed to save for later.
Science, research, and math, all for a chocolate chip cookie?
He thinks he won, but in my heart, I know I’m the champion… even if it’s only the first round today.
