WAFFLE IRON MAKES KIDS SELF-SUFFICIENT

When we got married, my husband and I bought a waffle iron. It was 1994, and this was one of those things you bought, like a matching set of flatware and a blender. While a blender was clearly a crucial kitchen miracle (used primarily for mixing margaritas), I did not appreciate the waffle iron. Oh, sure, back then it made waffles—still does—but the waffle iron didn’t really start to pay off until years later.

During the early years of our marriage, when we both played house, the waffle iron served as a cute prop on those mornings when my husband or I made a grand romantic gesture and served the other breakfast in bed. That didn’t last long. Next came my phase of “unfortunate domesticity.” The waffle iron was once again called to service as I attempted to prove my superiority as wife and mother by whipping up such delicacies as strawberry sauce and home-whipped cream to accompany my ironed-to-perfection waffles. This was, to say the least, misguided.

As our marriage and family matured, we fell into an easy rhythm of Sunday morning breakfasts, always prepared by my husband, and occasionally featuring a batch of waffles. That would have been enough, the waffle maker already well worth the initial investment. But today, 16 years after we bought it, this humble appliance is paying us back—big time.

The kids have discovered it.

“Hey, Mom, can I stick two tortillas with cheese in the waffle maker?”

“Um…yeah. Okay.”

That conversation was a turning point in my life. I no longer have to prepare snacks. You see, just about anything can go in between two tortillas—cheese, peanut butter, chocolate bars, the occasional cricket. And those little square marks the waffle maker leaves? Pure gold. (Kids are so easy!) I could probably stick spinach in there and they’d rave. But why risk it?

Thanks, waffle maker. I owe you one. Can I take you out for breakfast sometime?

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