Snips Snails and Pigtails

I have an issue with control.  I’m not sure what to do about it.  I knew that I had a problem years ago when I discovered that a friend allowed her 2 small children to get up and eat breakfast by themselves each morning while she showered.  How did they pour the milk?  (I’m envisioning a gallon of milk all over the kitchen floor and 3 little boys splashing about.)  Okay, so I’ve graduated from the milk thing, and yes all 3 of my boys can pour their own milk- but I’m talking about other things now.  Let me give you an example.  I’m not a breakfast-cooking mom.  Never have been, never will.  Of all the meals, it’s the messiest to clean up and I hate starting my day with lots of dishes!  I grew up eating cold cereal and my kids are doing the same.  Now the boys have been expressing the need for something else.  They’re tired of cold cereal.  They want…oatmeal.  Okay, sounds easy enough.  I decided to “help” Boy #1 (11) learn to make instant oatmeal.  I figure he can make Oatmeal in the morning for his brothers.  Well, as you can imagine it goes fine.  He easily grasps the concept.  Yet- for the next 4 mornings, instead of allowing him to make the oatmeal, I find myself doing it!  Why??  I’m the cold-cereal mom, so why am I suddenly making oatmeal??  Is it control? 

This morning I crawled out of bed and wandered into the kitchen to find Boy #1 getting a bowl of hot water out of the microwave.  I quickly intervene and take the steaming bowl out for him and walk over to the table with it.  As I set it down on the table, it splashes out and burns my finger. SEE!  This is why I’ve been making the oatmeal!!  I don’t want them to get hurt.  It was only then that I saw that he’d already successfully brought over the other 2 bowls of oatmeal.  He did fine.  He did not get burned- I did in my effort to take over!  Ahhhh, I need to let go.