Daughter
&
d
a
D
Dcuns
by Patrick and J.L. Hempfing
“
D
The Flour Attack
ad, can we make
St. Patrick’s Day
cookies?”
My
daughter, Jessie, made this
simple request on a day off
from school. How could I
say no, especially since I
know how much she en-
joys baking?
I mentally
tasted the deli-
cious sugar cookies
topped with green
icing and sprin-
kles that Jes-
sie envisioned.
Less appetizing
was the thought of the clean-up. It seems
like Jessie always asks to bake just after
I’ve vacuumed the floors. I knew Jessie
would have fun and the cookies would
taste great. I also knew that by the time
the last hot cookie emerged from the
oven my kitchen would look like a tor-
nado hit. Although Jessie loves to create,
experiment, and taste, she doesn’t love
to clean up the resulting mess.
If I said yes to Jessie’s request, I had
two choices for my role in the project. I
could assist (Jessie likes to be the head
chef) and enjoy quality daddy-daughter
time with her. Alternatively, I could stay
out of the way, knowing that I probably
wouldn’t have the patience to stay gone
long enough for her to finish the clean-up.
Jessie had already pulled up a sug-
ar cookie recipe on her phone. It was
too late to introduce a different plan. I
helped Jessie collect the required ingre-
dients from the pantry and the cabinet
56 WNY Family March 2020
above the stove. Surprisingly, we
had them all, even a full can of
baking powder, so I couldn’t
use missing ingredients as
an excuse to say, “Oh, we
can’t do this project today.”
Since I had a cold and a
headache, I went with Op-
tion 2 and said, “Jes-
sie, I’m going to
take a nap and let
you start.”
While I nap,
let’s get Jessie’s
opinion on a
messy kitchen.
Jessie, Age 12
I like to cook and bake. Dad cooks
while I am in school, at dance, or doing
homework. I lead a busy life. Sometimes
though, I get the rare chance to mess
around in the kitchen and can’t wait to
make something good. The problem with
that is… I leave a mess. I am tired from
cooking or baking, and why not? I have
gone to all the work to make something
to share. If Dad gets to eat it, he could
help me clean up in the kitchen. I have
been doing better lately though. I try to
put away my ingredients, so they leave
the counter free and easy to wipe down
when I am done. Now, let’s get back to
Dad to get his view on my messy kitchen.
When I awoke from my nap, my
headache felt better, but my kitchen was
now in pain. On the positive side, no
egg slime was running down the side of
the cabinets, a small improvement over
prior baking days. Jessie had put some
ingredients away and even washed a few
dishes. However, my celebration was
short-lived as I observed what looked
like a food fight had taken place with
flour used as the weapon. My kitchen
won the battle with egg slime but lost
the war with flour. The coffee maker and
oven were casualties. The coffee mak-
er’s “On” button had been suffocated. A
flour bomb had exploded near the front
of the stove, covering the floor, oven
door, and two of the stove burners with
flour shrapnel. Flour lay in piles on each
side of the kitchen sink and the counter
space to the left of the oven.
During the next couple of hours, Jes-
sie, my wife, and I rolled out the dough,
baked cookies, and decorated them.
When we were done, cleanup took a long
time, but we had fun and enjoyed the
cookies, which were as delicious in real
life as they had been in my imagination.
Again, in the future Jessie will
ask, “Dad, can we make cookies?” And
again, of course, I’ll say “Yes.” Howev-
er, I’ll pass on the nap, even if I have a
headache. It’s helpful to have a lookout
on duty for surprise flour attacks.
But whether my kitchen is spotless
or covered in flour, sugar, and egg slime,
one thing is certain ’tween daughter and
dad, I love my girl and my girl loves me.
Until next month, remember to
cherish the moments. Happy St. Pat-
rick’s Day!
Patrick Hempfing had a 20-year profes-
sional career in banking, accounting,
and auditing before he became a father
at age 44. He is now a full-time husband,
stay-at-home dad, and writer. Follow
Patrick at http://patrickhempfing.com.
J. L. Hempfing, now 15, began writing
with her dad in kindergarten. Her cur-
rent hobbies include playing clarinet,
saxophone, and piano. She also enjoys
marching in her high school band. If you
enjoyed this column, you’ll like Patrick’s
first book, MoMENts: A Dad Holds On.
The book compiles favorite stories and
new material and is available for sale on
Amazon.