Stick Breaker

A couple of Saturday mornings ago while I was stirring pancake batter waiting on the griddle to heat up, Jeff was busy in the den making a fire with Julia and Brighton skipping around his feet. Over their happy chatter, I heard some loud snaps and then an adoring daughter’s voice. “Daddy, you are REALLY GOOD at breaking sticks!” From my stirring station, I could not see them but I couldn’t help but to participate from a distance. With a convincing, matter of fact tone, I said, “Did you not know that Daddy is the BEST stick breaker in ALL of Tarrant County? C’mon.”

All was still and there came a sudden hush. I stopped stirring. They took the bait.

Julia’s wide eyes zoomed in on her Daddy, “Really, Daddy?? Are you really?”

I peeked. Both kids were STARING at their Daddy with reverence and awe. I began to stifle my laughter-- still at a distance.

Jeff, matching my pokerface and taking on a very Herculean posture, “Oh yeah,” head nodding, “I have a trophy in my room to prove it.” Brighton perked up. Trophies are a BIG deal.

Snap! Another broken stick over the knee with a little added drama and maybe even a grunt for impact. The kids were gawking at him and his handiwork, now clenched in his large fists. As my suppressed laughter threatened to ruin this fun, I retreated to my spot and began pouring out batter.

Bait swallowed, Julia asked, “Daddy, HOW did you win?”

Jeff, aware of my enjoyment, held his head a little higher, flexed his "power" as Brighton calls it and announced, “It must have been my form and the intensity by which I broke the stick.” My head hit the island to muffle my laughter in the sleeves of my sweatshirt. I lifted my head for air and through tears I saw them gazing in silence as Jeff stuffed the kindle in the fireplace. Brighton's focus slowly moved to the pile of unbroken sticks.

Seconds later they made a bee line to the kitchen to tell me the incredible news, not remembering I was the one who had reported to them. So while flipping pancakes, I got a great show from Brighton as he tried his hand at his Daddy’s award winning skills of stick breaking.

I had no idea my kids were so gullible.