The Perfect Day

Today my son had his girl friend over for the first time.   He wanted this to be special.  So, their plan was to bake a cake from scratch.  My son is an excellent cook and I trust him in the kitchen explicitly.  But, being the semi helicopter parent that I am...my first instinct is to hover.  I want to help!  He has never baked a cake before.  But, also being the semi cool parent that I want to be...I back off.  So after cleaning the kitchen, taking out most of the ingredients and utensils they will need, reminding them to pre-heat the oven and to check the recipe....I (head down) back off.  Man, this is so tough.  From my room I hear giggling, bowls clinking and the beater whirring.  Still, I stay firmly put.  Only, once I hear the oven door close (yes I have Mom hearing), do I enter the kitchen.  "So, how did it go?"  They both rat each other out on small mistakes like not being able to separate an egg and mixing issues...but assure me that even though the batter looked funny, they had successfully poured it into two cake rounds and were now debating over timer issues.  So, I set a timer and walk away........Half hour later DING....neither one of them move...they are too engrossed in each other...I open the oven door to find....two 8" pancakes....hmmm....They come into the kitchen and we inspect the flat golden rounds.  I assure them that rising is 3/4 the battle in actually baking a cake and that there is really no way to screw up butter, eggs, flour, vanilla and sugar.  It will probably taste great....just look funny.  Oh how wrong I was....we just cut up the cake and it is crunchy.  Crunchy?  Part of me wants to think that if I had hung around and helped out it would have been good.....but, for them it was probably perfect, exactly as it should be.  A sweetheart memory made in crunchy form!