Last week, I had the opportunity to sneak out for a long hike with a friend. Annie was asleep when I left, and I had intended to give her the day off.
Instead, she surprised me by texting to say she was going to cook pasta. (Don’t panic, her dad was in the house.) After reminding her to add salt to the pasta water, I left her to it.
I came home to see that she had done a great job – perfect al dente pasta my grandmother would have been proud of.
The delicious part of all this, beyond the pasta, is that Annie
- Wanted pasta
- Decided to cook pasta
- Told me she was going to cook pasta
- Cooked pasta
The self-confidence it took to do this, without my interference, is remarkable. The fact that she did it successfully helped grow her belief in herself. This entire exercise is about self-confidence, about teaching her to believe she CAN. Last night she cooked steaks for the family for dinner. To me, it seems that we are doing a good job.