Coffee for My Children

In 16 years since I left the college dorm I have never owned a coffee maker. The main reason - I don't drink coffee. The Mister drinks it but has never expressed a need to have it on a daily basis. As for me, I get my caffeine from Diet Coke. That is all I need to start the day. One ice cold from the fridge Diet Coke poured over ice. Yippee! I'm feeling euphoric just thinking about it. (By the way, what is the point of caffeine free diet coke? Without the sugar andcaffeine its just brown fizzy soda water.)

So, back to the coffee maker. This year I racked my brain for days trying to figure out what to give to the Mister for Christmas. Two months ago he said all he wanted for Christmas was some nice cologne because he was out, and luckily I found an extra unopened bottle which had been stored in the bathroom cabinet. Instead of keeping it for Christmas (and because he said he was out) I restocked his supply immediately. (Good wife award for me) But then I had to figure out what to give him for Christmas. Nothing seemed to be just right and I was dreading Christmas morning, imagining him opening his gift. I tried to visualize it and then I tried not to visualize it. WHAT SHOULD I GET HIM FOR CHRISTMAS??????

Then it came to me - COFFEE! If I bought him a coffee maker would he use it? Should I get a big one or a little one? Would he think I was a complete idiot for picking that for a gift? At this point my nerves were frazzled and I couldn't stand the thought of going into one more store, so I went with a small, simple four cup Mr Coffee. That was my first mistake, but not for the reason you would think. At home, overwhelmed with feelings of dread and regret, I kept it hidden the the car trunk and waited until 2:00am on Christmas Eve to wrap the box, and placed it under the tree.

Finally, the time came to open presents and I thought I might feel better if I just hid the gift and told him there wasn't one this year. I really felt that bad about the coffee maker. But it was too late now because he was already opening it. So far, so good. He was polite and appreciative but I kept wondering if he was just being polite so my feelings wouldn't be hurt. I really over think these things. Then he opened it as I pulled out some Starbucks Morning Blend and coffee filters and he began to make the coffee. A few days later he bought some pumpkin spice creamer. OK, this gift wasn't so bad after all.

Last night I decided to make coffee for the kids. I once heard that it has an opposite effect on children with ADHD. This was my chance to experiment. After briefly polling the kids to see who wanted to try coffee, I made a full pot - four whole cups. They LOVED it. Spencer actually prefers his coffee black with just a little bit of sugar. Natalie likes hers over ice and the others like it with creamer and sugar. I just like the smell because it reminds me of waking up to the smell of coffee when I was growing up. Tonight I made two pots of coffee and they wanted more but I cut them off until tomorrow morning. The result of my first experiment: The boys sat down and quietly watched a movie and then went to bed without giving me trouble. The girls stayed up late reorganizing their room.

So this coffee idea, which I dreaded and regretted, turned out to be not so bad after all. If the Mister never makes another cup of coffee at home again (not likely because he really does like it) I will be satisfied knowing that my children love it and will want it again and again. My only regret is that I didn't get a larger eight cup coffee maker. That was the first mistake I mentioned earlier. On the other hand, I think I started and encouraged a very bad habit. After all, they are drinking Starbucks and it is not cheap. And that would be the second mistake.