The Respect Connection: Thank you Betty!

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Thank you Betty!

Betty Crocker that is. How else was I supposed to make 50 cupcakes on a Wednesday night for Lucy's 100th day party in Kindergarten? Whew. Thank you Betty Crocker.

I love to make things from scratch and pretend that I can do it all sometimes. But this was not one of those times. So the respect connection here is respect for myself and my time. I know my limits. And I bet the kids will still love the cupcakes even though they came from a box. Happy 100th day of Kindergarten Lucy!

No comments:

Post a Comment

What is The Respect Connection?

The Respect Connection started about six years ago when I was working on a program to help reduce childhood obesity in my community. The big focus of our work was helping children have access to healthy food, particularly at school. One thing that came up was how smart kids really are when it comes to food. They know when something is fresh and when it's not. They gravitate toward the food that is fresh, well prepared, and attractively presented. We can show children we respect them through food. How it is grown, prepared, and served. And they know the difference.

So my thinking about respect started there. How do we show kids respect through food? How do we respect ourselves through the food we eat? How do we show respect for the land by growing food organically, sustainably and eating locally? So, from self, to family, to food. But then I started thinking about taking it out to the next circle. How do we respect one another in our neighborhood and beyond? I think that respect has a connection to all aspects of our lives and our lives together.

So here's what this blog isn't. It's not a parenting blog, although it started through my work with children and thinking about food in my own family. It's not a blog about how to eat locally or how to grow an organic garden. Nor is it a blog about how to be perfect, or happy, or nice all the time. It's an unfolding conversation about how respect connects to how we treat ourselves, our children, our friends and family, as well as the larger community. We'll see where it goes.