I'll Take the Good

     “Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good,” is a quote that has become a bit of a parenting motto for me. Actually, it's how we wound up eating brisket with chopsticks. Clear as mud, isn't it?

     Well, I think it's been established that I like to read with my kiddos. Part of what I like about reading to my children is introducing them to new cultures. We've been reading a library book set in Japan. This got my two older children talking about chopsticks. That got me thinking about how fun it would be sit on cushions around our coffee table as we ate some type of Asian cuisine with chopsticks (just like an illustration in the book). I just knew it would be “perfect” and such a good early learning experience for my little ones.

    Then life happened. Lately, we've gotten very little sleep around here and that has made doing much more than the basics quite challenging. So, the other night when my husband walked in the door with the much anticipated chopsticks, I had a choice. I could either wait until everything was "just so" to break out the chopsticks, or I could let them use the chopsticks while eating some good old Oklahoma Joe's leftovers. I chose the latter and I'm glad I did. We made a memory and my son liked it so much that he even requested to eat his oatmeal breakfast with chopsticks.

     Sure, my daughter has her cuisines a bit confused. She recently asked me if nachos are Chinese. Perfect might be that she knows what foods traditionally go with different cultures, but hey, I say it's good that she knows there is more to life than macaroni and cheese.

     It might be “perfect” to bake and decorate my children's birthday cakes, but that doesn't always happen (okay it's only happened twice). Still, I don't skip cake just because it won't be “perfect.” Of course not. I find a perfectly acceptable cake at a nearby bakery and call it good. My kids don't even know the difference, kind of like they might think barbecue sauce and soy sauce are one and the same. It's all good and that's perfect!

     Have you found yourself doing things less than perfect and learning that it might be just right?