I’ve been going through my blog posts from the beginning to organize and delete some. I love reading through those early posts about moving to and settling in England — it seems like so long ago! I also have to laugh at a few posts… mostly about things I said. It’s interesting to see yourself grow and change through old musings.
I had written a few posts with thoughts on being a parent, and I just laughed and laughed at my naive ideas. I think I had some good intentions with my hopes for parenthood, but wow, actually becoming a parent is such a shock to the system! I know when I was pregnant, I kind of avoided reading books about caring for infants, because I didn’t want to become obsessive about doing things the “right” way. But having a challenging baby meant I had so many questions and concerns about things. I scoured the baby websites. I asked so many questions on Facebook pages. I bought ALL the books I could get my hands on for ideas, suggestions, and information. I’m sure I went overboard, but I just needed answers!
I think one reason parenting is so different now is social media. Social media is so helpful in some ways: you can quickly connect with people to get advice about things, you can read through other peoples’ questions and concerns, and you can vent and commiserate with people you don’t have to see every day! But social media and the internet in general can be so anxiety-provoking too. You can Google things and get worst case scenario answers. You can ask a question on a breastfeeding Facebook group and be told everything from “your baby is normal” to “you need to get checked for a lip/tongue tie immediately.” Other people are well-meaning, I’m sure, but treating the internet like a medical professional can definitely be a bad idea. Not that I think medical professionals always have it right either, but that’s a whole separate topic!
Distance, I believe, plays another big role in parenting. I’m not sure if this is a global thing or more of an American thing, but people just don’t live near their extended families anymore. Not having family nearby means no built in support network for raising children. I think this changed fairly quickly too. It wasn’t that long ago that families generally stayed in one area, with grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins only a street or a town away. Having family ready and happy to help makes a huge difference in the parenting experience. And being far from family? Well, it might just drive you to buy every book out there on baby sleep, breastfeeding, and early learning!
So what am I getting at? Nothing really, haha. I was just having a laugh at my pre-parenthood self and pondering parenthood in general. And I thought that, on the subject of parenthood and kids, I’d share one of my son’s favorite recipes: homemade chicken nuggets!
Parmesan Chicken Nuggets
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Serves: 4-6, depending how hungry your toddler is
2 eggs
1/3 cup panko bread crumbs
1/3 cup plain bread crumbs
1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
- Preheat the oven to 400F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
- In a shallow bowl, lightly beat the eggs. In another shallow bowl, combine the panko and plain bread crumbs, Parmesan, garlic powder, pepper, and salt.
- Working in batches, dip the chicken pieces in the eggs followed by the Parmesan mixture. Make sure to coat the pieces evenly.
- Arrange the coated chicken pieces in a single layer on the baking sheet.
- Bake until the chicken is cooked through 15-18 minutes, turning the chicken at least once.
- Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.
The sides shown above are Pepper Jack Cheesy Mac & Honey Garlic Green Beans. The only things I skip with the macaroni and cheese recipe are the tortilla chips on top and the crushed red pepper (too spicy for Gerrit), although it’s yummy with those ingredients as well!
On An Even Kiel 