This afternoon I am in a Chili Cookoff. This is the second year that our local park district has done this. I entered last year, one of I think 8, and won the prize for the Sweetest Chili. I have the award hanging in the kitchen. I don't enter my chili for any category specifically, in fact, I was really surprised when they announced mine as the sweetest. I just make mine about the same way my grandmother always did, with brown sugar. My recipe is my own, I have tweaked it to mine and my family's liking. I don't do anything special for it for the contest. I think that is where the most satisfaction comes in. It won an award without being any different than it always is. The judges thought that the way I made my chili for my family deserved this title. It is one thing to enter a contest and try doing something different than you normally do just because you think it will win an award. I think that my chili is just GOOD, that is why I entered and when I won the prize it was confirmation that it was just GOOD! To me that is the success. It's too bad that we as mothers don't get a prize for having a well behaved child. Or raising a child who then goes on to become something great. But then that in itself IS the prize. To be able to say that "Yes, that is my son, I didn't do anything special with him, that is just how he was raised. He got punished when he disobeyed, he was praised when he did well, he is just my own special recipe." And really, isn't that the best prize of all? Confirmation from an outside source that you did well raising your child. No parent is perfect. Especially not me. I have screwed up more than I would care to admit with my children, but I have no doubts that they will turn out okay. I discipline, I praise, I teach, I love, I do my very best to keep them well rounded and well grounded... that is my recipe. I have yet to see the end result, but so far it is looking pretty darn successful.
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