Gratitude

"I'm out of chocolate chips," I told my best friend on the phone at 8:05 a.m. as I pushed the shopping cart through Kroger.
"How does one know that at this hour of the morning?" she asked.
"Oh, I made cookies this morning to put in the kids' lunches," I said.
And I didn't think it was weird that I got up at 5 on my day off(Columbus Day), went for a run and baked chocolate chip, peanut butter cookies before 7 a.m.
And my kids didn't think it was anything special.
I don't expect them to be grateful. I'm not one of those parents who thinks those kids should see the sacrifices I'm making for them like some parents (fathers) are.
There was an elevated level of grumpiness among the kids. Some "Shut ups" and some "OMGs." I breathed a sigh of relief after I dumped them at school on my way to the grocery.
The youngest is without his cell phone. I confiscated it yesterday for his belligerence toward me. Belligerence being the opposite of gratefulness where teenagers are concerned.
On Sunday, he said a friend had asked him to go to a movie. We dropped them off for the 3:15 show. He called at 5:30 and asked me to come pick them up.
"I don't have a car," I told him.
Grace had a car at swim team and Earl drove the other car to work.
Even though the logic of me not having a car and not being able to pick him up seemed clear, he argued with me for five minutes about picking him up.
If I was a good parent, I probably would have built a car and gone to get him.
I refrained from pointing out that perhaps the friend who invited him should provide a ride one way.
So, I said he should walk home. It's about two miles and they get off the busy roads pretty quickly.
"Whatever" was his parting word.
When I called to check on his progress, he had turned his phone off.
I called the mother of one of the boys with him. She had talked to her son and they were walking. She was at the grocery and had declined to give them a ride as well.
When Tucker walked through the door, he was ready to continue the phone argument. I held out my hand and took the phone.
"You should have planned better," he yelled.
"A week," I said, holding up the phone.
And last night, when he offered to make me a cup of hot chocolate, I knew he wasn't grateful for the valuable life lesson, but was trying to get his phone back.
So, we mothers will continue to push heavy grocery carts without expecting thanks. We'll continue baking cookies and packing lunches.
Someday, even without the threat of cell phone confiscation, they may say, "Hey, Mom. Thanks." Here's the recipe in case you want to make them for your own teenagers.

Chocolate Chip, Peanut Butter Cookies
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Cream together 1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
Add 1 beaten egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon of vanilla
Mix well.
Add 1 3/4 cup of flour
1 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. salt
Mix well. Add a bag of chocolate chips.
Shape into balls, roll in sugar.
Bake for 8-10 minutes.