I believe that there are different types of patience that are required for different situations. Waiting in line at the grocery story, waiting for the computer to bring up a website, and waiting for the cable guy all require patience. Each of us has patience for at least some things and maybe even have an area in which we are particularly patient. My wife, for example, is extremely patient when it comes to on-line shopping. She’ll surf the web for hours looking for just the right product at a price she is willing to pay. My shelf life is 15 minutes – on a good day.  On the other hand I can read a book for hours, while it took my wife longer to read her last book than it took the author to write it.

My wife works in the city three days a week. It is an arrangement she has had since she returned from maternity leave after our first child was born.  Those days she works in the city, she gets home late, so I, who am home early, am responsible for preparing dinner for my family.   Grunt, grunt, hunt and gather, must feed family.   I do not and never have had cooking patience.  I’ll let the water boil, wait for the fries to grow crispy, and even cook the eggs at a low temperature as someone once told me this enhances the taste.  However, I never make anything that takes more than a few minutes to prepare.  Lucky for me, my children have simple tastes. So, in this case, we are on the same exact level. Hello Benjamin Button. See, there are only a few foods – hot dogs, eggs, noodles, French toast, and pizza bagels – I can pretty much guarantee both will eat on a regular basis.  A small sample, yes, but it makes it easy to figure out what to make and, even better little time is needed to prepare.

So, my children’s appetites and my limited cooking patience have a symbiotic relationship.  Now, we need to work on staying in our own beds every night. I am not a patient middle-of-the-night guy.