My girl is at that age where she is excited and eager to help out and be involved in everything that is going on in and around the house. She wants to help pour the milk into her cereal bowl, throw dirty clothes into the washer, pull weeds in the garden or anything else we are working on – she wants to lend a hand with all of it! It is quite lovely and incredibly endearing. I sincerely hope she stays this enthusiastic about being a helper.
One recent evening, when Grandmom and Grandpop were visiting, I decided to make personal quesadillas for dinner. Usually, I make big ones and cut them up to share but our last trip to the store yielded only the smaller soft tortillas, so I decided to open it up to customization. Naturally, my little one wants to help, and because she is only three and still a tad young to be cutting tomatoes, bell peppers and lettuce and also too small to be manning the griddle, we decided to let her take our drink and food orders. I gave her a towel to drape over one arm, a small pad and a crayon. Like a good head chef, I briefed her on the available ingredients and she instinctively knew what to do next (she has been out to eat many times in her first three years) – ask her customers what they want in their quesadillas and what beverage they would like with dinner. It was hilarious to watch her scribbling down gibberish on her pad and saying “ok, thank you” after each order.
After all the orders were in, she slid on over to me in the kitchen and tried to recall what everyone wanted. Like a rookie, she had to confirm a few things with her guests before handing in the final order. As the tasty Mexican treats were coming up and plated, I would have her carry them over to the table (she needs some work on her presentation skills, but we have time!). Afterwards, the guests were welcomed (read: encouraged) to tip their server and were quite generous in their offerings (she came away with a few bucks for her efforts).
Bellies were full, smiles plentiful and one little girl learned about the hard work involved in the food service business, all while having a ton of fun and making a little ice cream money – just in time for the warm weather!
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