I’d never heard of a black and white cookie until we moved here to Brooklyn. Of course, I’m sure they existed on the west coast… I just didn’t frequent bakeries or patisseries much before our move out to the city.
The kids and I pass a bakery on every corner block of our neighborhood. Evelyn has grown quite fond of the black and white cookie- a staple in most of these bakeries. Mind you, she only likes the “white” part of the cookie and typically leaves the “black” part for me. Some days, I exert tremendous self control and quickly throw the cookie away in the nearest garbage can before I can even think about eating it. But frankly, most days I give in to the temptation and eat the cookie. And realize that these cookies are HUGE. They are like cake and cookie all in one. So good!
But on another note… all mothers know that cookies come in handy while running errands~ such entertainment for children! Today, I needed to stop into a few shops (drugstore, market, hardware store.) I feared the kids’ attention span might wane and so I bribed them with the infamous B&W cookie. Great! All were happy while I maneuvered the stroller through the microscopic aisles of our local market. After several minutes of quiet, I looked down… expecting to be handed a huge chocolate cookie half. But, not today! Today- my darling girl decided to crumble the better part of her cookie into a million pieces all over the stroller and floor of the market. (Remember this is a HUGE cake cookie~ AND think little aisles and lots of people in this store… no room to pretend it wasn’t your child making the mess! ) I was a bit flustered and embarrassed as I held people up both behind and in front of me in my attempts to gather in and collect the cookie explosion. (Remember again… not a lot of patience for people with small children in the big apple).
On the way home, I asked Evelyn why she had committed this crime. Her reply? Well, she wanted to gobble up her cookie like cookie monster. Makes sense, right? She’s a little child and has a vivid imagination.
One of the biggest challenges that both Blake and I have faced while living in New York City is the fact that we must be so ultra strict with our children while out in public. It’s as if they can make no mistake whatsoever! There are too many people and too little space for them to mess around. We are always worried they will wander too far off, fall into the subway pit, be too loud, or inconvenience another in some way. And it’s not much better in our small apartment. They can’t jump or run or scream… it will burden the neighbors.
But today I realized that I need to relax and let my children enjoy childhood a little more~ even if it may not be the most convenient thing for others on the sidewalk or in the store or even in the apartment next door. My kids are really good to stay close, and to be quiet… but they will only be kids once and if Evy wants to gobble up a cookie, I’m ok with cleaning up the mess; even amidst dirty looks and pushy people. My kids are worth it!
