L’Eggo my Eggo

Did you know that the Eggo waffle has been around since the 1960’s? My two teenagers would consider that pretty “scary sick” or “wicked” that I actually know that little tidbit. (Isn’t it great that when you’ve homeschooled for nine years, your kids are immune to the current fashionable “lingo” that teenagers use?) In reality, it’s only because I’ve been around since the mid-60’s.

I love the commercials and they’ve changed very little over the years. (Even though I found a really cool website that allows the little ones to play waffle games. Where were these things when we were kids? Click here to check it out.)

It may be great fun to hang over the toaster and see who can scream “L’eggo My Eggo“! However, my teens had a conversation not to long ago about how it really teaches, “You who weigheth more can knock a sibling on their caboose, to attain yonder steaming waffle”. I’d like to think as a homeschool mom that my kids would choose to discuss something that gave evidence that homeschooling really pays off… like who invented the toaster? … or, just what ARE the ingredients in an Eggo waffle? (Don’t look… You’ll be scared spitless!) But discussing the fact that treating each other with respect is NOT exactly what is taught through Eggos and sticky syrup is “ok” by me too. When you have two teenagers, you take the “teachable moments” as they come.

You’d think since we homeschool that it would be very easy for me to teach my now sixteen and seventeen year old children to “play nice”, and “look to the needs” of others… “to offer up a fresh, hot Eggo to a half-asleep sister”. But we are bombarded from numerous “it’s mine” type of sources. Movies, television, video games, the internet, youth groups, family reunions… and the breakfast table, all can negatively influence how we view the ownership of an “incoming waffle”.

Something we do is try to be “sneaky nice”. We try to be unselfish in ways that are not readily apparent. Leaving a note on the plate with one remaining cookie that says, “Here kid brother, I have unselfishly left this one remaining cookie for YOU, in order that you will live long and prosper”, doesn’t count. It has to be something that only you and God know. We’ve had a great time trying to “guess” who has blessed us “unaware”. Just a few “anti-Eggo” character building ideas –
1. Bring in the mail without being asked
2. Lug your sister’s heavy backback from the top of the stairs where SHE left it after co-op classes, to her desk for her.
3. Get out a cereal bowl for the other person without being asked. They are asleep on their place mat anyway.
4. STICK AN EGGO IN THE TOASTER as you leave the kitchen and let another’s nose lead them to the “squares of gold”

I think if we all actually tried hard enough, we could all come up with “anti-Eggo” random acts of kindness.