Fudge Sauce on Ice Cream (Does Anything Stick To A Kid’s Brain?)

By Melodee

First, a recipe.

Keri’s Fudge Sauce (I got this from Keri in Wyoming–I don’t know where she got it)

1 cup sugar
2/3 cup cocoa
3 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

In a saucepan, mix sugar, cocoa, flour, salt and 1/4 cup of the milk. Blend until smooth, then add remaining milk. Cook, stirring constantly, over low heat, until sauce boils and is thick. Remove from heat. Stir in butter and vanilla. Serves 12-16.

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Lately, my efforts to teach my boys seem futile. How many times do I correct, suggest, direct, redirect, show, instruct and scold? Countless times. How many times do I remind, cajole, explain? Why do I have to say the same things over and over again? For instance, “Proper nouns begin with what? That’s right, a capital letter.” Or “CLOSE THE CUPBOARD DOORS! PLEASE!”

I am reminded of how pointless it is to pour hot fudge sauce over cold ice cream. The chocolate just slides down the cold, creamy slopes and puddles around the edges. Just like my words and their brains.

I worry that nothing I say actually sticks. They will never routinely flush toilets, wash their hands, and put punctuation at the end of sentences. They will always leave their shoes in the middle of the floor, forget to pick up their cups, and leave blobs of toothpaste in their sink. They will never clean out their ears, brush their teeth or comb their hair without a reminder. Shane will always say, “Six times eight is fifty-six, right?” and I will always repeat, “No, six times eight is forty-eight. Always has been. Always will be. And so shall be forevermore. Amen.” They will never LEAVE my house because they will remain 11 years old forever.

Honestly, if we are making any forward progress, it is measurable in millimeters.

And yet, I keep scooping the fudge sauce over the top, over and over again. I hope one day, something will stick before the ice cream totally melts and makes a sticky mess. And I hope my kids will eventually become valuable citizens of the United States, remembering to brush their teeth and close and lock the door when they leave the house. (Please, I hope they leave one day.)

In the meantime, I need fudge sauce over ice cream over brownies.

Originally posted at Actual Unretouched Photo.