How to Cook a Child

Just finished prepping a brisket for a BBQ I am going to tomorrow.  I threw together a rub and made a homemade BBQ sauce. As I was digging through the spice drawer it dawned on me I cook just like I parent.  I know how to make BBQ sauce (kind of)--I at least know some common ingredients and I know what not to put in it.  So I gather all the ingredients and I start mixing things together. I start with what I think I need the most of then I add things one at a time adding less and less as I go.  After I put everything into it that I think it needs then I sit back and watch it cook.  After it cooks for awhile I start doing taste tests, and I add more of what I think it needs.  Sometimes  I REALLY mess up and it does not taste good at all.  This has happened to me a couple of times with BBQ sauce.  A few times it has been way to acidic.  But I have never thrown it out.  One time I was able to fix it by adding more of something else, and once it was so bad that I couldn't use it for sauce but it was great for braising.  The one I used for braising ended up being my BEST brisket ever. Once the brisket is in the oven, I leave it alone.  It slow cooks so pretty much leave it and let it do its thing. 

But, despite all of my mixing and taste testing, I really can't ruin the brisket.   The main ingredient is the beef itself and I have little control over that.  It is what it is.  As long as I don't do anything to harm it, the brisket is going to be fine.  When we only had one child I wasn't able to parent this way.  I thought that every thing I did or didn't do either saved or ruined my kid.  I thought his accomplishments were because I was a good parent and I thought that his challenges would go away if I just read the right book, or had the right formula. The truth is I have no control over his challenges, I can't get rid of them, all I can do is add something to help him deal with them.  I am not saying you can't really screw things up, because you can.  What I am saying is that if you have the right ingredients, things will turn out fine. As long as you continue to put good things into it and keep an eye on it adjusting the recipe as you go it will turn out wonderful (or at least be edible.)