My food obsessed 8 year old is constantly thinking of excuses to make cakes. This is owing to the fact that all things interesting are banned from the house in an effort to keep his weight down. He normally tries the “so-and-so’s coming round today, shall I make a cake?” or “as it’s football, shall I make a cake to take for the team?” or “as I’ve done really well with my homework shall we make a cake to celebrate?”.
Yesterday he got away with it. We were at the supermarket. He went for the “pull-the-heart-strings” route: “mum, as I didn’t spend the day with you yesterday, I really want to make you something special, can I borrow some money?”. I gave him £4.00. He went off and bought ingredients, butter, eggs etc, but wouldn’t let me see what else. He then totally trashed my kitchen and presented this some time later:-
Is that normal 8 year old boy behaviour? To be able to buy the ingredients, make and decorate a cake without a recipe? I certainly can’t do that.
Anyway. Obviously I was delighted and so was he because he got to eat cake….and it was after our meal, so the other two children were there and the conversation went something like this:
8 year old:
“I love my mum the most because I was the only one who made her a cake”
16 year old:
“well I bought her some chocolates from the shop and that’s much better”
13 year old:
“yeah, but look at your card, all you said was “Happy Mother’s Day” , mine was MUCH deeper, all about her being the best mum in the world and about how much I love her and look, I’ve got 3D writing and 7 more kisses than you AND I bought her more than you”
16 year old:
“yeah, but I drew a smiley face and anyway mum has loved me the longest”
13 year old:
“but she loves me the most because I’m a girl and she much prefers girls”
and so on…until I began to wonder whether any of them would notice if I snuck to the pub for a drink.
PS Note to Anonymous apostrophe police – apologies for all the wrong apostrophes, I just can’t get them right…and arguably anyway, Mother’s Day is correct x
Frankofile
March 24, 2009Great how each kid KNOWS you love them the most!
Miranda
March 24, 2009Heh heh.
I am VERY impressed with that cake! Is that GLITTER on it? Did it taste as delicious as it looks?
Wife in Hong Kong
March 24, 2009Can I borrow your 8 year old to come and be our in-house resident baker? I am SO impressed!
Mum's the word
March 24, 2009I loved this post.
It sounds like something my 5 1/2 year old will be doing in a few years. She’s a bit of a baker too, like her old mum.
Visually it looked great.
How did it taste?
x jo
Nicola
March 24, 2009The cake is great – i am so impressed! And so funny how kids make everything competitive and even the most thoughtful of things just become yet another opportunity for one-up-man-ship.
marieloupe
March 24, 2009The better Mother’s Day cake in the world!
Anonymous
March 24, 2009i think all your kids are brilliant and the cake baking skills of the 8 year old are really amazing. do you think he’d be interested in ways that you can incorporate beans and veggies (usually pureed) into cakes, while hiding their flavour? thinking longer term it seems to me that his interest in making food from scratch will help keep him healthy.
Laura Jane Williams
March 24, 2009I want an eight year who will make me cake! That’s adorable!
Expat mum
March 24, 2009Don’t you love how 16 and 13 year olds will engage in fairly childish conversations from time to time?
And no- your little guy’s cooking thing isn’t normal – he’s obviously got a gift in that area.
Cornay
March 24, 2009I am so impressed with that beautiful cake. Well done! Can’t wait for my boy to be 8 now. He also shows an apptitude for food preparation: the other day he placed his sister’s colouring books in the oven. Love your blog.
http://www.cornay.blogspot.com
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Family Affairs
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Erika Lüdecke
May 8, 2010Nice article. I have bought my present for the mother day and I am happy to have all necessary things. It´s always difficult to find a good present.