Incentive or Bribe? Call it what you like, but my mama didn’t raise a fool. At least not in this department. Boy Wonder has a writing sample that must be mailed off to school by the end of the month and he was having such a hard time facing his final draft. In typical form, he had all the work done long before yesterday with the exception to that neat and clean final copy. Shocking, right? Yeah, not so much. He’s definitely his mother’s child in this regard: he’d rather keep his options open. A finished copy of work means, well, you’re done. We’d rather not start than choose to finish. It’s a gift, really.
He’s been pestering me to bake. Oh, not ME to bake, but to let HIM bake. On his own. “With very little meddling from you” kind of baking. He’s a smart kid, he knows that if he hits me at just the right moment, I’ll say yes. . . and if he doesn’t he’s a big fan of drip marketing. Drip, drip, drip: Oh, ok, you can bake cookies! Evidently, his mother didn’t raise a fool either!
As to not completely give in, I bargained a compromise: “You write your final draft by 3 and I’ll let you bake cookies.” He’s been taking lessons from his father because he countered, “For the neighbors, too?” S i g h. Right, like I’m going to say, “NO! You can only bake for us.” Ha! So, we made a deal. And darn if the kid didn’t get his end of the bargain done well in advance. Uh, huh… now who’s the smarty-pants?
He chose his recipe, Peanut Butter, and I had him read the directions through twice. He determined in order to have enough left over he would need to double the recipe, so we worked in a little math with fractions. Note to self: Have the boy do this for you from now on. He’s good with math, you’re not! And then he went to work.
He decided that he wanted to box his cookies and set about making origami boxes for them. Pink boxes with yellow ribbon: feels like Spring! He had quite the rhythm established by the end: scoop cookies, put them in the oven, fold a few boxes, DING!, take cookies out of the oven, repeat! The results were pretty good, too! He’s now our official goto guy for Peanut Butter Cookies.
I want to go on record here: the ONLY thing I’m responsible for in this whole thing is tying ribbons and donating flowers. Otherwise, this was his from start to finish. Oh, wait… I helped eat the cookies too. 😀
As much as he enjoyed the whole baking process, I suspect what he really digs is delivering his goods. He was gone for at least 10 minutes to each house (save one)… I peeked from inside our entry door—watching him chat with the neighbors. They all stood and talked to him, raving about his kindness and inquiring to his day. He’s a really chatty kid and when I asked him why he wanted to do this he said, “Well, I thought it would be a good neighbor thing to do!” A box of Peanut Butter Cookies is a nice bonus for a chat with a sweet 10 year old. And darn, if to the one they didn’t stand there in their doorways being ever so pleasant.
The only real snag was with our neighbor, John, who is a man of few words. He took the cookies and said thanks, but he didn’t enthuse. He was one of Boy Wonder’s last stops, so the lack of enthusiasm was a bit confusing, I think. However, this morning the doorbell rang and there was John bringing our “dish” back. Inside, he had tucked 3 squares of yummy Ghirardelli chocolate and then wrapped it all back up. Apparently, we have very good neighbors!
Your photos really *do* those cookies justice! They tasted as good as they look and the packaging was truly marvelous. I am amazed that he did everything so well. The boxes were folded neatly, and he even managed to double that recipe. I’m not a peanut butter cookie fan but I ate… well… I lost count how many I ate.
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Yeah, he did a really nice job with those. His little boxes were so sweet. I suspect it will be very soon when he is baking completely on his own. That oven still makes me nervous, but he did really really well, considering. ~W
Nobody knocked at my door …. (sniff)
Cookies look gooooooooooood! He’s certainly a well-rounded kid, isn’t he? What a nice gesture 🙂 And seriously, come back to my house with cookies. Or at least some cookie crumbs! 😀
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Heh… IZ’s dad is a peanut butter cookie nut, but these things are so fragile I don’t think they’d ship! As for your door. . . we don’t exactly know where it is, ms. privacy. 🙂 ~W
I wish I were your neighbor! I think the boy is full of good upbringing to think of his neighbors like that.
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Oh, thank you! I suspect you’d make a very good neighbor. 😀 ~W
I would be totally thrilled to get cookies from my neighbors. We usually exchange goodies with our LDS neighbors at Christmas time. Everyone else ignores us, and we them.
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I’d be thrilled too! 😀 Although, our neighbors have brought over little gifts now and again. I’m always touched by those little gestures… so it was nice to see our kid take it up on his own. I’m kinda hoping that he recalls how much people like to be remembered as he gets older. You know, so I get an occasional phone call when he’s busy solving all the problem of the universe! 😀 ~W
He’s a gem, that Boy Wonder. I’m glad I’ve got him semi-betrothed to one of my girls.
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He is a gem. But I’m kinda biased. :DÂ Have you decided which girl is in the running, or are you going to let them slug it out amongst themselves? If so, my odds are on Tink! 😀 ~W
Now I know why I saw the rainbow’s end on your street. BW is an amazing kid (and his parents aren’t too shabby either!)!
Love your story about your neighbor John. You just never know, eh. Wonderful!
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Yeah, BW took the lack of words yesterday in stride. But, he did notice and comment. We just told him, that not everyone expresses gratitude with words. Sure enough, John showed up today—and did express his gratitude in words… just not a whole bunch! I have to say, our kid is slowly but surely worming his way into the hearts of all his neighbors. They weren’t too sure about having a kid living on their retirement block, but I have a feeling that they’re all going to miss him when he heads off to college someday! ~W
Wow! I want nice neighbors. Really. We have some very sad neighbor stories. Once (and this is a super long story that I am narrowing down ALOT), I was left out in -20degree weather…at midnight…while husband was away and baby was sleeping in house… again, long story that had something to do with rescuing my stupid (I mean, sweet) dog. Anyway, I had my cell phone on me and used the last remaining battery time to ask my neighbors for help. Both neighbors said No. I was mortified – as I surely felt that I was in danger from the elements and we live way out in the country.
In the end, my husband and I have decided to move. I just can’t take the anxiety of knowing that I am alone out here with no one willing to help in a crisis. It’s that damn “yankee” privacy, pride, solitude, etc..etc.. that keeps people around here from reaching out to one another. I need some positive community to raise my son in. Any ideas? We are thinking of the Seattle area 🙂
Anyway, all that to say … ENJOY YOUR NEIGHBORS! Heck, love thy neighbors! Well done Wonder Boy … you are reaching out and it will be re-gifted unto you 🙂
Love,
Jodi
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Well, in some regards our neighbors are difficult. It’s very Scandinavian here and people keep to themselves. But, they can’t help but open up a bit when an infectious 10 year old is beating on their doors. I mean, they could, but he’s pretty darn persistent. He literally has worn them down with his gleeful attitude and constant greetings and chatting with them. He’s polite and that wins him lots of points–and just generally happy to talk with anyone. So, all these retirees are getting used to having their own Dennis the Menace on the street.
YOUR neighborhood, on the other hand, makes me angry. That wouldn’t fly even here! Certainly not from my Southern world. HOLY COW. That makes me so very mad for you and your baby. NOT COOL! I’ve locked myself out of the house with a sleeping baby before–it happens. But in that weather?? I can’t imagine the panic. I think moving is an EXCELLENT idea. I’m partial to Seattle as that is “home” in so many respects for me. But, anywhere out this way would work. I’ll put my vote in for Astoria right now! 😀 Take care, Jodi. ~W
What a sweet kid! And so adorable – his smile melts my heart. This was such a touching little activity – and to think, it was all in the name of a bribe!
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Thank you. He’s a good kid. He has his moments, but then he does stuff like this and you forget his playspace is covered with a layer of legos 1″ thick. 😀 ~W
OH how wonderful…I love peanut butter cookies! They were never my father’s favorite however, and I think my mother somehow subconsciously remembered that, because she innocently made them for years whenever he would come and visit…and he always refused (she finally remembered though, and it tickled her to no end…ahhh divorce, always fun!)
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Oh! The divorce part is sad, but the passive aggressive behavior is pretty comical. :D ~W
I like this. What a wonderful thing to have done! Sage has been pestering me about the kitchen–perhaps I should turn him loose. He could then do all that baking for the PTA…hmm.
Those boxes are just too cute.
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Heh… turn him loose! He’ll surprise you, I bet. The boxes were BW’s idea: they’re made out of pink construction paper. At first, he wasn’t sure he wanted everyone to have a pink box, but when I explained that bakeries use pink and that was it! He likes “branding”. Heh. ~W
Peanut Butter cookies, Yum.
Sweet neighbor kids? More glorious than three dozen cookies.
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We think so too! 😀 I’m getting the feeling that not everyone appreciates sweet neighbor kids. Glad our neighbors are warming up! ~W
I don’t think my “Hope you feel better!” comment went through yesterday… so… I hope you are feeling better! And BW is OFFICIALLY the coolest kid ever! What a wonderful and pretty act of love… love it!
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Oh! It sounds like your comment might have gone to spam. I’ve received nearly 7 thousand spam comments in the past week and sadly, that’s just too many to troll through looking for lost comments! I’m glad you let me know, tho–and thank you! I’m working on it—it’s a very slow process. 😀 ~W
what a talented boy. :*) you are lucky
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Thank you! We are!! ~W
The packaging is ingenious. BW would fit right in here in my neighborhood. We are surrounded by adorable, chatty children, and I have to restrain myself from swooping some of them up and kissing on them. BW would definitely fall into that category.
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Your neighborhood sounds like fun! BW would adore it and you. He’s so extremely extroverted that the more conversation partners he can have, the better. ~W
What a good kid. The cookies looked + sounded like they were very good… but then to package them up in that beautiful pink box, with ribbon + a flower? Too much.
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He is a good kid. He also lives with parents who understand the value of marketing and packaging—so, he learned from a very young age that presentation is everything. And, he comes by this impulse pretty naturally too, I think. He has already designed his company logo. Heh. Goofy kid. ~W
Moments big as years!
My little ones take homemade bread and May baskets to our neighbors and offer to do chore for the older folks. The thank-you notes they have received are some of their most precious mementos.
My husband’s mother is Finnish, but she could melt an iceberg with her loving personality.
BW is beautiful, inside and out!
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Yeah, I’m a big fan of intergenerational relationship building. Your kids sound amazing!! I think you learn a lot from knowing people of different ages, and the joy from helping another person is something a lot of kids miss out on!
Sadly, BW doesn’t have regular contact with grandparents—so, a great deal of his energy goes out into his neighborhood. It’s only a matter of time before he’s organizing a block party. 😀 ~W
Wowweee!! BW ROCKS! With his cooking skills, social skills, packaging skills, decorating skills and his wondefully cute face, he’s gonna go far. Oh, and by the way, I’ll be there sometime in early July, and I love peanut butter cookies. 🙂
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Yeah, it will be interesting which direction he finally chooses to go–or if he finds a way to combine stuff. I bet you’re looking forward to seeing the Ocean again! ~W
Aweeee! What a little sweetie! Those boxes turned out super cute 🙂
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He is pretty sweet, and I loved his boxes. I’m completely poaching that idea next time I need a small foodie box. ~W