Like all of us, I'm busy, but most days I manufacture the time to cook for my family. I braise beef ribs for hours, I let stock simmer all afternoon, I julienne vegetables till they're just right for the salad. It's slow, deliberate work. I move through the kitchen without hurry, letting things take the time they need. And when I do this, when I give a meal the patience it asks for, it shows. The flavors deepen.
Some people dream about having kids. Others hear a toddler scream at Target and know that parenthood definitely isn't in the cards. The truth is, not everyone is built for the wild, exhausting, beautiful journey of raising a child, so when Reddit user u/Hungry_South1377 asked, "What are some signs you should NOT become a parent?" what people didn't do was hold back.
I don't cut crusts off toast at breakfast time. If my kids don't want to eat the crust, they eat around it. I'm not lazy, I'm teaching life skills . It's a valuable lesson that you have to eat around the bits you don't like. My often passive parenting isn't me checking out; I'm intentionally stepping back so my kids have space to grow and work it out for themselves.