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Did I Leave The Oven On Or Did You?

"Mom, can we use the oven?" That was the last thing I heard before I drifted off to sleep Sunday afternoon.

I'm pretty sure I didn't answer because the answer would have been, "No." But I'm glad my laziness overrode my mouth. I woke up to a mess, a delicious snack and a parenting realization. My two younger kids (10 & 8) made mini hot dogs and baked peanut butter cookies ... all without me. AWESOME!

One of my greatest challenges as a parent is deciding when to loosen the leash and let my kids do stuff I'm not sure they're ready for. But if they're going to cook, the leash won't just be loosened, I'm taking it off.

The hot dogs and cookies were delicious. Food really does taste better when someone else makes it, even if that someone wasn't supposed to use the oven.

How have your kids surprised you?

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