Why Dad is Cool

Have you ever noticed that when Mom leaves home and Dad is in charge, that the planned menu is almost always altered. I am the mom, so I haven't been around to hear the conversation between father and child, but I imagine it goes something like this, "Hey Joe, do you want me to warm up that nasty, left-over meatloaf Mom has in the fridge or do you want to go to CiCi's?" You can substitute tuna casserole, beef stew, brisket, or anything else that might be put in the fridge out of love and concern about a husband and child's nutritional needs for the meatloaf. You can also substitute McDonald's, Burger King, Cafe China, or any low end, fast food restaurant for Cici's. And you can guess the answer to the question.

I just got in town a few hours ago after going up to Arkansas to help my father after hernia repair surgery. I knew I was going a couple weeks in advance so I planned to have a few things in the fridge that could be easily cooked. I guess I do this to prove my love to the family even though I am deserting them. I know one of the questions Bob asks when I leave town is what I have planned for them for dinner while I am gone. I am not sure why he asks about the planned meals when he has no intention of eating them. I was thinking about this today while warming up the brisket for dinner tonight. I could just wrap up Styrofoam bricks with aluminum foil and label them with the usual fare the next time I leave. That way, they will know that I love them and have thought about them, but I won't waste food or time or money. The only waste will be refrigerator space, and that is wasted with the real food I might have put in there for them if I thought there was a chance that they would eat it. The result will be the same, they will go out every night.

When Bob is out of town I usually make something like mac and cheese, canned soup, or tuna sandwiches. I can guarantee the Dad is out of town food is definitely not fast food. Maybe this is why Mom is not cool. The trouble is, if I take the clue from Dad and do fast food, then it is no longer a special treat. I would feel like a failure if I called out dinnertime and the kids all ran to get their coats.

The good news is that tomorrow's dinner is already cooked! Meat loaf, mashed potatoes, gravy, peas and salad. All I have to do is warm it up. I don't ask who wants to eat my nasty meat loaf. I just put it on the table and smile and tell them how lucky they are that Dad is home and that they are not eating Kroger brand instant mac and cheese.



Bob, the popular parent with two of our all too eager to ditch the meat loaf kids.