The Jell-O Story

     There once was a girl who wanted to make some Jell-O. The shiny, green cubes on the box looked so enticing-- oh she could hardly wait!

     Because she had never made Jell-O before, the girl was sure to read the directions carefully.

     Step 1: In a bowl, mix gelatin with 1 cup boiling water. Stir until melted.

     Step 2: Stir in 1 cup cold water.

     So, the girl got a bowl and a spoon, and put a kettle of water on the stove to boil. But as she waited, her excitement dwindles. What's taking so long? she wondered.

     She checked the stove. Yep, it's on. She waited some more. Any minute now, she told herself. But no whistle, not even a tiny peep, came from the kettle's spout.

     Finally losing her patience, the girl decided to skip onto Step 2. She poured the cold water into the bowl and stirred until the water boiled. Then she measured the hot water, just like the instructions stated, and added it to the green mixture. After a few stirs, the girl spooned the liquid Jell-O into the waiting bowls. Into the refrigerator they went! What a delicious snack they will be!

     A few hours later, the girl returned, eager to enjoy the fruit of her labor. But instead of refreshing, smooth Jell-O, she found bowls of lumpy, green slime.

     What had gone wrong? she thought. She reread the instructions, and realized that the gelatin needed to be melted by the hot water first, then diluted with the cold water. The girl learned two lessons that day: one must be patient when cooking, and following directions are important.

The girl was, of course, myself, and to this day, I am deliberately patient and careful in the kitchen. But my daughters are not. After two minutes of stirring, I hear,

"Is it ready yet?"

"Am I done yet?"

"How much longer, Mom?!"

And that is when I tell them the story of the girl and the Jell-O, not skipping over the fact that the girl was me. My daughters have not yet tired of hearing that story, and the lesson I'm trying to pass on is slowly sinking in. It is my hope that they can learn from my mistake, as simple as it was.

Children LOVE to hear stories. My children especially love to hear stories about my childhood ("Tell us about the time you got bitten by the dog!") This is one of the simplest ways to pass on your narrative. Use stories to teach, to share, and to grow together. Lay them down to help make the path that your child will take.

Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.

Proverbs 22:6

(For more, read my previous post Passing on Your Narrative.)