There's Always S'mores

In my opinion, several things need to happen to cook the marshmallow perfectly. 

1. Patience

The best s'more marshmallows are gooey on the inside and golden brown on the outside. This requires you to cook the marshmallow in the embers, rather than the flames, and to allow the process to take time. I mean, technically you could cook a marshmallow in about 15 seconds. But if you want to avoid the charbroiled taste, plan on 3-5 minutes of patient turning and waiting.  

2. Centering

Unfortunately, when the internal environment of the marshmallow becomes deliciously gooey, the integrity of the marshmallow is fragile. So the next important thing to ensure is proper centering of the marshmallow on the skewer. My experience is that only well-centered marshmallow stay on the skewer; the others fall off and are consumed by the flames.

3. Preparation

Maybe I should've started with this one. But if you have failed to set the marshmallow up for success by getting your graham crackers prepared and in position, there will be no safe landing for the fragile gooey marshmallow once it has been roasted to perfection. Preparation is key to successful s'mores. 

The final lesson from s'mores is that getting a sticky face is inevitable. I have yet to figure out a way to eat a s'more and avoid the sticky hands/sticky face madness. I just figure that's part of the deal, and I try to keep baby wipes on hand so I don't feel helpless. 

Turns out, the lessons I learned from making and eating s'mores are SO applicable to parenting teenagers:

• Be PATIENT with the process, the relationship, and everyone in it.

• RE-CENTER when you are feeling fragile. For me, that means intentional self-care and getting coached.

• Be ever PREPARED--mentally, physically and emotionally--to be a safe landing place for your teen.

• Know that raising teens is SUPPOSED to be sticky and messy!! Nothing has gone wrong when it is. It's just the nature of the process.